South African Tourism is strengthening its engagement with Indian travel trade partners to familiarise them with South Africa’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, aimed at simplifying pre-travel formalities for eligible Indian visitors. The digital authorisation process reduces paperwork and is designed to facilitate processing within 48 hours.
As part of the initiative, South African Tourism conducted its first digital ETA workshop for the Pune travel trade on September 22, 2026, in collaboration with South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs. The session brought together 65 trade partners and addressed application procedures, processing timelines, child applications and group travel arrangements.
Neliswa Nkani, Acting Hub Head of South African Tourism, said engagement with travel partners was essential to building confidence and ensuring they could guide clients through the new process. Nilesh Bhansali, president of the Travel Agencies Association of Pune, welcomed the organisation’s proactive approach, while Amol Damle, partner at Damle Safaris, said the workshop would help the industry prepare for anticipated travel demand ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.
In Kolkata, the initiative could help travel agencies improve guidance for prospective South Africa-bound tourists, particularly as major sporting events approach. Greater awareness of digital authorisation procedures may support travel planning, although demand will also depend on flight connectivity, package costs and travellers’ preferences.
