(Posted 10th March 2026)
Air access study, a visa harmonisation pilot and cross-border product development
advance the SADC Tourism Programme 2020–2030’s ambition to exceed global
tourism growth by 2030
As Angola took centre stage as the Official Host Country of ITB Berlin 2026, the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat convened a
stakeholder gathering to report on implementation progress under the SADC
Tourism Programme 2020–2030.
The programme, supported by the German Government and the European Union
and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
GmbH, provides a coordinated regional roadmap for sustainable tourism
development across the 16 SADC member states.
The session brought together representatives from SADC member states, and
delivered evidence that measurable progress is being made on three fronts: visa
harmonisation, air access, and cross-border product development.
“Regional cooperation remains central to unlocking tourism’s full potential as a driver
of inclusive growth, employment and environmental stewardship across Southern
Africa,” said Marygoreth Mushi, Programme Officer for Policy and Market
Development, SADC Secretariat.
Air access study charts course for improved regional connectivity
Mushi reported that an Air Access Study has been completed and submitted for
ministerial review. The study, which feeds into the Air and Road Access
Improvement Programme, identifies the slow pace of Single African Air Transport
Market (SAATM) implementation as the region’s primary structural constraint,
alongside high aviation taxes, insufficient regional and intercontinental routes, and
inadequate infrastructure.
Its recommendations include fast-tracking SAATM adoption, harmonising aviation-
related taxes and charges, and coordinating infrastructure investment across
member states.
“We all understand that tourism might not have a direct mandate over air transport,
however it is highly affected,” Mushi noted, explaining the study’s centrality to the
region’s broader tourism ambitions.
The Southern Africa Tourism Alliance (SATA), which represents tourism associations
across the SADC region, confirmed its role in operationalising the study’s findings
once approved: translating ministerial-level recommendations into practical on-the-
ground improvements through its private sector networks.
SADC UniVisa pilot delivers cross-border travel progress
Mushi reported substantial progress on the SADC Tourism UniVisa pilot, now
operational across Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The
ICT architecture for immigration systems, legal frameworks and revenue sharing
models have been implemented and benchmarked against the KAZA UniVisa and
East African Tourism Visa. A Tourism-Focused Customer Service Training
Programme has also been developed for immigration and border personnel,
designed to balance security requirements with visitor experience.
SATA has supported delivery of these frameworks through its member networks,
including border management training at the Kazungula crossing connecting
Botswana and Zambia and a pilot train-the-trainer programme for disaster risk
management officials in ministries and national tourism organisations.
Cross-border integration advancing through Transfrontier Conservation Areas
Nick Tucker of Boundless Southern Africa, working with the SADC Secretariat on
tourism market development across Transfrontier Conservation Areas, underscored
the practical significance of reducing cross-border friction. “Nothing makes regional
integration tangible like a functioning cross-border tourism experience. Every time
we reduce friction, we increase competitiveness,” Tucker said.
2030 targets
Mushi outlined the programme’s central objective: to ensure that by 2030, cross-
border multi-destination tourism in Southern Africa exceeds the global average
growth rate. The session reinforced that the partnership model – uniting government,
private sector and conservation stakeholders under a shared framework – provides
the institutional architecture to deliver on that commitment.
The session was chaired by Shamilla Chettiar, Acting CEO of SA Tourism, who
noted that relationships are foundational to how the sector functions: “We all want
tourism to work. We collaborate with each other in order to compete.”
