I’m happy to say that today is the day. I’m super-excited. I’m shouting, ‘Hooray!’” A special acknowledgement for this to renowned poet Kenn Nesbitt from https://poetry4kids.com/poems.

Of course, this all depends on whether you are reading the column on the date of its publication, November 29, and you happen to be a tour operator in China, India or South Africa who has responded to an invitation from the Department of Home Affairs that appeared in the Government Gazette of October 28 and was titled ‘Invitation to domestic as well as Chinese and Indian tour operators to submit an expression of interest in the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) of the Department of Home Affairs’.

It is the ‘IC’ countries, or the ‘BRIC’ countries minus the ‘B’ (Brazil) and the ‘R’ (Russia). Naturally, questions arise as to why Brazil and Russia are not in the TTOS fold. Perhaps this piece will answer the question – no promises, though. To find out, you will need to read on. Spoiler alert: the answer, if provided, will not be at the end, as that would be far too easy.

Confused by it all? Or torn between continuing to read, turning the page or ‘swiping left’? Before making a hasty decision, consider the ‘Background’ of the notice: “1. In a critical step to reform the visa system and position the Department of Home Affairs as an economic enabler by enhancing the tourism sector in South Africa, the department is inviting tour operators in China, India and South Africa to submit an ‘expression of interest’ for admission to the TTOS, subject to the qualifying criteria. 2. With an initial focus on the burgeoning tourist markets of China and India, the TTOS will remove some of the key obstacles standing in the way of South Africa becoming a favoured tourism destination for the second- and fifth-largest economies in the world. 3. Through the TTOS, the department aims to put in place a visa regime that will attract and promote tourism on the basis of simplified procedures and objective, predictable and reasonable requirements and criteria, and without consuming excessive administrative capacity. 4. The TTOS will, subject to risk profile, allow group tourist visa applications to be submitted by an accredited trusted tour operator (the tour operator) as per the memorandum of agreement concluded with the tour operator, which will regulate and prescribe reduced supporting documents. 5. To qualify for membership of the TTOS, a domestic tour operator, business or organisation needs to demonstrate that it adheres to the regulatory requirements in the tourism sector, that it has relevant experience in facilitating tour groups, and that it has sufficient insurance to cover all the travellers to South Africa, including the provision of continuous support and aftercare services should they be required. 6. The first phase of the TTOS will be piloted for the Chinese and Indian tourist markets.”

Another obvious question is: Why only aspire for “South Africa becoming a favoured tourism destination for the second- and fifth-largest economies in the world”? What about number one, three, and four? No thinking big or stretched goals, then? No “Aim for the moon; if you miss, you may hit a star”? As Michelangelo once said – no, not the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” one – “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” Cowabunga!

In order of size, the missing countries are the US, Germany and Japan. Still concerned about the missing BRICs? Brazil ranks eighth and Russia eleventh. As for the ‘brickette’, although not technically missing – but economically missing in action – South Africa places thirty-seventh.

The department will employ a scorecard system that will consider “inclusively in order to achieve the goal” these factors: legal compliance, operating experience, operational experience, and collaboration.

As for the T&Cs, or “terms and conditions”, the notice states: “Applicants are advised to note that the Department of Home Affairs is undergoing a process of digital transformation and reserves the right to amend the TTOS as part of this ongoing process.”