SADC Workshop Targets Tourist-Friendly Border Posts Across Six Member States
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat convened a two-day Joint Consultative Workshop on Tourist-Friendly Border Posts and Customer Service Training in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on 28 - 29 July 2026. Border officials from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe participated, representing immigration, customs, police, port health and tourism desk functions, alongside tourism operators and border post management structures. The workshop, facilitated by the Southern Africa Tourism Alliance and Fischer Consulting, was supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the European Union under the Joint Action NaturAfrica/Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management Programme.
The workshop forms part of the SADC Tourism Programme (2020 - 2030) and focused on identifying practical solutions to challenges faced by tourists at regional border posts, with outputs set to inform the development of SADC Tourism-Friendly Border Post Guidelines. Participants also undertook the SADC Tourism Customer Service Training for Border Officials, a programme approved by SADC Ministers of Tourism in May 2025, aimed at equipping frontline border staff with the competencies to better understand and meet visitors' needs. The initiative reflects a broader regional commitment to improving the seamlessness of cross-border travel as a key driver of Southern Africa's tourism competitiveness.
