South Africa plans to increase the number of tour operators under the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to process in bulk the visas of Chinese and Indian tourists, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said Tuesday.

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Africa plans to increase the number of tour operators under the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to process in bulk the visas of Chinese and Indian tourists, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said Tuesday.

De Lille made the remarks at the Meetings Africa, a pan-African business and trade show that kicked off on Monday in Johannesburg, South Africa.

South Africa introduced the TTOS last year to streamline the visa application process and boost tourism from India and China. The first batch of 65 selected tour operators from South Africa, India, and China started processing visa applications through the scheme on Feb. 12.

"We are excited about the TTOS, and we need to recruit more tour operators in the next phase. I would like to see 150 to 200 tour operators by December so that we could bring in more tourists from India and China," said de Lille.

South Africa is also negotiating with various airliners to improve its connectivity with India and China, said de Lille. The minister pointed out that after previously relaxing visa requirements for Kenyan and Ghanaian citizens, South Africa saw a significant surge in tourist arrivals from the two countries.

Noting that visa inefficiency discourages potential tourists from visiting South Africa, Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber said the country is planning to expand the coverage of the TTOS to include more countries in the future.

Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, chief executive officer of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, an umbrella organization representing organized business in the travel and tourism industry, said the private sector has been clamoring for the easing of the visa restrictions to attract more tourists to the country. "Under the TTOS, tour operators will conduct their business more professionally and usher in more visitors," he added.

Last weekend, South Africa received the first group of 15 Chinese tourists under the TTOS. China and India are two key source markets for South Africa's tourist arrivals; data from the Department of Tourism showed that the country received 41,651 tourists from China and 75,541 from India in 2024.