Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has made an impassioned plea to government to immediately open the country’s borders if the sector is to be revived.
Tourism is one of the most affected sectors by the coronavirus pandemic which has also led to South Africa’s 51 percent annualised decrease in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the second quarter of 2020.
The tourism sector has seen massive job losses and the closure of many businesses.
This as the country’s borders remain closed under Alert Level two lockdown regulations.
Tourism Business Council of South Africa CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa says government must give time-frames as coronavirus infections start to decrease.
“It’s not like we are going to be exporting all the people that have COVID-19 from the UK, or Germany or from wherever. It’s the selected few people who will be travelling to our country. We believe that we should be able to open.”
“Let’s us deal with issues of demand and convincing people to come to our country instead of fighting to go back to work. Let’s make the bold decision, bold step forward to opening our borders. At least announce the date. We can’t just say we’re going to open soon, when is soon,” adds Tshivhengwa.
The video below, is reporting on the impact of the lockdown on the tourism industry:
Meanwhile, the Western Cape government has launched the “We are Open” campaign in an effort to revive the domestic tourism industry.
Premier Alan Winde says the nationwide lockdown has had a severe impact on jobs in the tourism industry.
The provincial government, in partnership with Wesgro, has embarked on a campaign to showcase the best of the province.
The popular Table Mountain cableway is one of the tourist attractions that has opened its doors, as well as the Two Oceans Aquarium.
