India, Oct 26: South African Tourism is strengthening its engagement with the Indian travel trade to build awareness and understanding of South Africa’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation process, supporting trade partners in guiding eligible Indian travellers through the digital system. Through stakeholder interactions and knowledge-sharing initiatives, the organisation is working to familiarise the trade with the process, address queries and facilitate a smoother pre-travel experience for visitors to South Africa.
The introduction of the ETA marks an important step towards making travel to South Africa simpler and more convenient for eligible Indian travellers. The digital process enables travellers to complete key travel authorisation formalities online, reducing paperwork and streamlining the pre-travel journey. The ETA is designed to facilitate faster processing, with authorisation highlighted as being available within 48 hours. As part of these efforts, South African Tourism conducted its first digital ETA workshop for the Pune travel trade on 22 September 2026, in collaboration with South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs. The session brought together 65 trade partners and provided an opportunity to introduce the new process, walk participants through the application journey and address practical queries around timelines, child applications, group handling and other aspects of the system. The engagement also enabled travel partners to gain greater clarity on the process and better prepare to guide their clients.
Neliswa Nkani, Acting Hub Head, South African Tourism, said,
“Our travel trade partners play an important role in helping Indian travellers discover South Africa, and it is important that they have the clarity and confidence to guide their clients through new processes such as the ETA. Engaging directly with our partners allows us to address their questions, understand their needs and help them navigate these developments. We remain committed to working closely with the trade to build awareness of the ETA and support a smoother travel experience for eligible Indian travellers to South Africa.”
The Pune travel trade welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with South African Tourism and representatives from the Department of Home Affairs. Nilesh Bhansali, President, Travel Agencies Association of Pune (TAAP), said,
“A special thanks to Neliswa and her team from South African Tourism for continuously engaging with the travel trade in such a proactive, positive and solution-oriented manner. Your team truly understands the challenges faced by the industry and works closely with us to find practical solutions.”
Amol Damle, Partner, Damle Safaris, added,
“We sincerely thank Ms. Neliswa Nkani, Acting Hub Head, South African Tourism, and Mr. Yusuf Simons from the Department of Home Affairs for their clear, insightful presentations on the new ETA process. The session has helped us prepare for the anticipated rush in travel to South Africa ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.”
South African Tourism’s engagement with the Indian travel trade forms part of its broader efforts to strengthen destination knowledge, build confidence among industry stakeholders and support prospective visitors as they navigate the new authorisation process. By working closely with trade partners and relevant stakeholders, the organisation aims to improve awareness of the ETA and reinforce South Africa’s accessibility as a destination for Indian travellers.
