By Francis Ogwo
South Africa tourism sector has reported a loss of about R54.2 billion between March and May at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, in a recent CNN interview.
According to him, many businesses have not been reopened in South Africa owing to Level 3 regulations imposed as a containment measure against the coronavirus pandemics.
The Minister had disclosed that the sector currently may further lose about 75% of revenue in 2020 while 438,000 jobs may be lost.
He further stated that, “As tourism activities slowly resume, it is inevitable that certain things are going to change.
“Expected changes include new tourist behaviour patterns and preferences. For instance, research done by South African Tourism shows that as tourism restarts after lockdown, unsurprisingly, travellers are going to prefer open spaces and avoid crowded and ’touristy’ areas.”
He suggested improved and applied technologies as antidote for a smarter and efficient recovery.
“Expected changes in traveller behaviour post-COVID-19 present an opportunity for smaller and marginalised enterprises to leverage the trends that are anticipated.
“As visitors want to explore destinations less travelled, avoid crowds and take road trips rather than risk-flying, there are opportunities for individual travel guides, shuttle services, and one-person operators to tailor experiences to these preferences.
“The tourism sector tends to support a number of localised projects. Sustainable tourism fosters a positive economic, social, and environmental impact on host destinations. On the other hand, responsible tourism is about the manner in which visitors, residents, and small businesses interact with a destination,” he said.
The Minister stated the need for a conscious and inclusive approach in the period ahead.
“Part of our role as SA Tourism is to improve the lives of South Africans by contributing to the inclusive growth of the country’s economy through tourism. It stands to reason that, for tourism to contribute sustainably to job creation and poverty reduction; its value chain must be inclusive and transformed.
“The revised National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) 2016-2026 envisages sustainable development and growth of tourism enterprises in a manner that facilitates inclusive participation, job creation and contributes to the competitiveness of tourism destinations.
“By supporting marginalized and empowered enterprises, the sector contributes to South Africa’s long-term economic growth. Given the inequality and unemployment problem in the country, enterprise development is an opportunity for companies to play a positive role in society,” he said.
South Africa has, over the years, remained a tourist haven with its huge potentials.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the 2018 contribution of the tourism sector in South Africa directly accounted for 2.8% of real gross domestic product (GDP), which amounts to R139 billion and this was projected to grow to R145.3 billion for 2019.
