As South Africa’s peak season travel season is approaching, there is convincing evidence that reveals global travel to be on the rise, once again.
The recent surge in travel activity has taken the industry by surprise, exceeding the conservative recovery projections. According to leading visa outsourcing and technology services specialist VFS Global, the number of visa applications between January and August 2022 alone was almost four times larger than the total number of applications for the whole of last year.
Jiten Vyas, Chief Commercial Officer, at VFS Global, says, “This increase is primarily driven by a high pent-up travel demand. With the opening of international borders, easing of travel restrictions, and the resumption of regular international flights, the industry is witnessing peak ‘revenge’ travel.”
Canada and Australia were the top locations for outbound travel from South Africa in terms of visa application volumes, while growth was also seen in outbound travel to Schengen locations, particularly in Italy and the Netherlands. According to Vyas, the resumption of in-campus classes at overseas universities was also a major contributing factor to the spike in outbound traffic.
Vyas further emphasises that health considerations and prioritising safe travel have become key priorities. Shifting customer expectations have fuelled the emergence and acceptance of contactless and Do it Yourself (DIY) technologies. “We have noticed wider acceptance of digital services that enhance customer convenience by minimising physical contact. In line with this philosophy, we introduced services such as Digital Document Check (DDC) which enables customers to verify documents before visiting a visa application centre, thereby streamlining and shortening the in-person experience.”
Similarly, VFS Global’s Visa at Your Doorstep (VAYD) service provides customers an end-to-end visa submission facility at a location of their choice.
