South Africa’s visa reforms open the doors to billions of dollars in dynamic markets

Booth Construction and Interior Decoration System – Seyyed Mehdi Najafi – Johannesburg, July 16, 2025 – In a game-changing move, South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced the launch of two new visa schemes, STAGES (Global Entertainment and Performing Arts Talent Scheme) and MEETS (Meetings, Events and Exhibitions Tourism Scheme) . These targeted reforms pave the way for attracting billions of dollars in investment and a more active presence of exhibitors and buyers from the growing markets of China, India, the UAE, and West and East Africa.

Industry response: A historic opportunity for South Africa’s development

RX Africa , the organizer of leading global exhibitions including WTM Africa , ILTM Africa , and Fame Week Africa , describes the decision as a milestone in removing barriers to the presence of key market players.

Carol Weaving , CEO of RX Africa, enthusiastically declared:

“These reforms will significantly facilitate travel for buyers and exhibitors from challenging but vital markets such as the UAE, China, India, Nigeria, Ghana and Ethiopia . We will see significant growth in these markets for tourism exhibitions such as WTM Africa and ILTM Africa. This will expand our hosted buyer programme and attract more international exhibitors, ultimately benefiting the entire local industry.”

Widespread impacts: from tourism to creative industries

• Chinese Tourism: Improving China’s accessibility is particularly critical for the “China Readiness Workshop” at WTM Africa, where South African businesses will connect directly with this huge market.

• Film and Production Industry: In his budget speech, Minister Schreiber mentioned the loss of a major Netflix production worth 400 million rand ($22 million) due to visa hurdles. This was just one example of missed opportunities.

Alarming statistics: the cost of administrative barriers

• The South African film industry’s contribution to the economy in 2019/2020 was 7.2 billion rand ($400 million), which declined after the pandemic and administrative delays.

• In contrast, Canada attracted 11.3 billion Canadian dollars (155 billion rand) in film and television production in 2022 alone, thanks to friendly policies .

•  With effective visas and incentives, Georgia saw a 250% growth in foreign production in 5 years.

Competing with global MICE giants

South Africa’s R120 billion ($6.6 billion) MICE sector has always lagged behind competition from hubs like Europe (50% of the global market thanks to Schengen visas) and Dubai (the Middle East hub with easy business visas) due to visa barriers.

Weaving emphasized:

“For years, we have seen destinations like Dubai, London and Las Vegas take over major global events, while South Africa has the capacity to host them. With these reforms, we can now compete with these global powers. We are no longer asking international buyers and exhibitors to jump through bureaucratic hoops; we have rolled out the red carpet for them.”

Creative Industries Outlook: Changing the Rules of the Game

Martin Hiller , Fame Week Africa Director, emphasized the broader implications of these reforms:

“The Stage and Meets visas are a game changer for South Africa’s creative economy . For years, bureaucracy has prevented us from realizing our potential as a global hub for film, fashion , music and major events. These visas will not only facilitate access for international talent and careers, but will also make South Africa an easy, trusted and world-class destination for business and creativity.”

Strategic timing and a bright future

The reforms come as South Africa continues to grow as a top destination for international events. The Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau recently attracted 36 new events in the 2023/24 financial year , which is expected to generate an economic impact of R745 million ($41 million) and 27,230 attendees by 2028.

The digitalization and fast processing (decisions in hours) promised in these visas will remove major barriers to participation for target markets . RX Africa expects this to expand the hosted buyer program and attract more high-quality international exhibitors.

Conclusion: A big step towards global competitiveness

As Weaving hopefully noted:

“These reforms demonstrate that South Africa is finally ready to compete on the global stage for international events and productions . We look forward to working with government to successfully implement these initiatives and strengthen South Africa’s position as Africa’s leading destination for world-class creative exhibitions, conferences and productions.”

This administrative transformation not only has immediate economic consequences, but also reflects a shift in South Africa’s attitude towards a more open, competitive, and attractive economy in the international arena.