Last Week, Britain banned all travel to South Africa after discovering two cases of a mutant COVID-19 variant, which is driving the second wave in the country.
SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona on Monday said it was likely to take a long time for the industry to return to pre-COVID-19 levels.
There are concerns that this year's holiday period will have a knock-on effect on tourism with uncertainty around whether it’s safe or even advisable to make travel arrangements.
The tourism sector has been among the hardest hit since the introduction of the lockdown but there are fears that travellers from outside the country could spur on a second wave of infections.
SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona said the country was now in the ‘amber’ zone, a good space to be in to announce a date.
SA Tourism says nearly 440,000 tourism jobs are at risk this year. The sector is expected to lose 75% of projected revenues and R80 billion in foreign receipts.
About 1.5 million people employed in the sector had to stay home for over four months when the country’s lockdown regulations halted the movement of people.
These claims are still the subject of court matters after insurers were reluctant to honour the policies because in their view, the damage was caused by government’s lockdown and not the actual COVID-19 pandemic.
The virus has spread to every continent except Antarctica, forcing several countries to institute travel restrictions and lockdowns to contain the spread.
EWN sat down with South African Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona to talk about how they are taking on President Cyril Ramaphosa's challenge to double tourism by 2030, the busiest spots attracting visitors and advice on how to travel smart.
The department announced that it has relaxed visa laws for Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.
The Table Mountain Watch group said at least 14 people were attacked in the park since January, significantly down from the 42 attacks during the same period last year.
Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said as they anticipated an increase in foreign tourist arrivals, government remained aware of concerns around safety and security.
Mantashe says about 60 mining projects with an investment value of more than R110 billion are in the pipeline for the period from now until 2020.
EWN sat down with Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom at #Indaba19 to talk about the SA tourism landscape in 2019.
The campaign is an initiative driven by the Western Cape government, City of Cape Town, SA Tourism, Cape Town Tourism, and the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association.
Talk Radio host Bongani Bingwa speaks to Eyewitness News UK correspondent Alex Eliseev about team South Africa’s performance at the event.
The country emerged from a recession last year but is struggling to grow its economy and less disposable income means locals are hesitant to travel.
