Despite too many travel restrictions still in place, along with an uneven vaccine rollout worldwide, the travel and tourism industry expected a slow recovery when international borders opened in mid-2021.
In spite of this, global travel continues to rise, especially in countries like Nigeria, where the surge in travel activity has surprised the industry, exceeding recovery projections. VFS Global, a leading visa outsourcing and technology services company, reports a 40% increase in visa applications from Nigeria in 2022.
According to Hariprasad Viswanathan, Head-Sub Saharan Africa at VFS Global, high travel demand is contributing to this development.
“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,” said Viswanathan.
Canada emerged as the top location for outbound travel from Nigeria in terms of visa application volumes. Schengen locations, especially France, also witnessed an increase in visa applications followed by South Africa and Saudi Arabia this year. According to Viswanathan, the resumption of in-campus classes at overseas universities was also a major contributing factor to the spike in outbound traffic.
“Even though the effects of the pandemic remain omnipresent in certain parts of the world, many embassies are still inundated with visa applications,” he adds.
Viswanathan further noted four factors that played key roles.
Agility is key
While a traveller’s confidence is an important element in travel recovery, says Viswanathan, resilience and agility in restarting operations also played a key role. He continues, “Keeping pace with the changes, our businesses have become even more customer-centric, resilient, and efficient right across our global network of 140+ countries. As a result, by December 2020, we were able to resume operations in 1,600 Visa Application Centres (more than half our global network), catering to over 50 client governments across 129 countries.”
Traveler confidence
Viswanathan further emphasizes that health considerations and prioritizing safe travel have become key priorities. Shifting customer expectations have fueled 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 minimizing 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 center, thereby streamlining and shortening the in-person experience.”
Similarly, VFS Global’s Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD) service provides customers with an end-to-end visa submission facility at a location of their choice. The popular service can now be booked through WhatsApp in some markets.
Sustainable travel on the rise
Post-pandemic, the world is also moving to an era where many travelers are making conscious decisions to reduce travel emissions and carbon footprints, support local communities, save water and energy resources or even seek eco-friendly accommodations. The recent rise in eco-conscious travelers who seek to travel sustainably is also changing how businesses and locations are operating now from their ‘business as usual attributes to looking to transform journeys by offering meaningful experiences, added Viswanathan.
The way forward
He highlights the fact that innovation will remain the catalyst for change. Governments and other stakeholders continue to seek and develop new technologies that will enable a smoother international journey. “A partner with the right technological competence and value proposition will play an essential role in helping to accelerate governments’ adoption of outsourcing services and boosting cross-border mobility,” concludes Viswanathan.
