Local travel industry is devastated

BY BONNY FOURIE bronwyn.fourie@inl.co.za

Now domestic tourists are riding to the rescue – as long as inter-provincial travel bans are not introduced

IMMEDIATE, dramatically destructive and devastating. This is how Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) national chairperson Rosemary Anderson described the impact of the latest international travel restrictions on South Africa.

And she said this was so “not least because of their potential long-term impact on our tourism industry”.

South Africa’s tourism accommodation sector faces not only a bleak summer holiday season but an unknown 2022.

“For travel to happen, certainty is required and if this is the reaction that travellers can expect when variants are discovered, whether here or elsewhere, it will dissuade them from any long-term travel plans.”

Long-term strategy

Those establishments that have managed to survive the past 20 months are resilient and agile, but Anderson expects next year to be another tough year.

“We have, however, emerged as a stronger industry and are far more collaborative than we have been in the past.”

On a positive note, she adds the industry is working more closely with the tourism ministry to eliminate barriers that hamper growth and to tap into opportunities like remote work visas for this lucrative market.

“Together with the minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, we plan to market South Africa as it has never been marketed before. We have learnt much over the past 20 months which will hopefully help us navigate the stormy waters ahead and, at the same time, set our aims and ambitions higher than they have been before.”

Is it naive to expect travel restrictions to be lifted soon?

When South Africa was removed from Britain’s initial red list, the pent-up demand resulted in immediate bookings. Now Fedhasa says it is hopeful that “if science prevails and the bans are lifted”, the appetite will “remain in time for us to save what is left of our peak season”.

Although some countries are already removing outright travel bans and instituting other, more effective, restrictions to limit the spread of Covid and the Omicron variant, Anderson says each country ultimately uses different criteria to make this decision.

“We saw when the Beta variant was first discovered, South Africa was added to the red list at the beginning of 2021 and only removed in October.”

As the country’s scientists say they will only be able to establish the extent to which vaccines are effective against the Omicron variant and its real impact on hospitalisations and deaths towards the middle of this month, it is hoped that governments that have instituted travel bans, such as the UK – South Africa’s key source market – “will be led by science and not politics when changing their restrictions to match”.

Will it be too late?

This is hard to say, says Anderson.

“On the one hand, there was incredible pent-up demand and the removal of South Africa from the red list had the effect of a tap being opened in full for inbound travel, not just from UK, but other key source markets.

“On the other hand, once bitten, twice shy. The immediate and indiscriminate way in which the restrictions were imposed overnight has created a great deal of uncertainty and done incredible harm to destination South Africa’s reputation.”

Property investor Grant Smee worries that even if the restrictions are dropped soon, it may be too little, too late.

“It’s impossible to know for sure, but with massive numbers like R1 billion in losses being reported, it is unlikely that travel being re-opened in the next few weeks will be enough to rescue providers but it may help to stem the bleeding.”

Anderson says South Africa’s tourism operators and property owners are, however, grateful that its domestic tourism is robust.

“We would further ask the government to use all other measures at its disposal to prevent a lockdown of inter-provincial travel as this would be even more devastating for the sector.”

Short-term survival plan

In addition – and for the sake of the upcoming holiday season – tourism property owners and South Africans should lobby the government to embark on a massive vaccination drive and encourage consistent implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions as well as health and hygiene Covid-19 protocols.

“Added to this is to let the government know that our tourism and hospitality sector simply will not survive more lockdowns or more restrictive laws than those we currently have,” Anderson says.

Tourism and hospitality staff must be encouraged to get their #jab4tourism “so that we can keep our doors open and save the livelihoods that still remain in our beleaguered sector”.

South Africans to the rescue?

The focus for tourism property owners must definitely be on the local market, Smee says.

“Offer discounts or incentives to those living within the same province to attract a new market of nearby customers who may not have considered a ‘staycation’.

“While it is an incredibly difficult ask to expect accommodation providers to slash their rates after a brutal two years of lost revenue, discounted stays might be the best chance of attracting domestic travellers who are also cash-strapped as a result of the pandemic.”

Some accommodation providers are already seeing local tourists coming to their aid, with Larika Botha, principal of RealNet Pristine in Jeffrey’s Bay, saying that holiday flats and houses in the town are “fully booked from December 15 well into January”.

“South African holidaymakers are more than making up for the lack of international visitors.”

She says those who could not enjoy beach holidays last year, thanks to Covid, are determined do so this year.

“And while some are reluctant to pay more than 50% of the usual deposit in case the president announces local travel restrictions or beach closures, most landlords are understanding and still taking these reservations.”

The main concern now among South Africans, says Susan Coetzee of RealNet Rainmaker in Mossel Bay, is uncertainty over the government’s plans to try to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.

“Our biggest worry is that the government will decide to stop inter-provincial travel or to close beaches again.”

The petrol price is also a “bit of a deterrent” for those who plan to drive from Gauteng and other inland provinces, she adds.

Domestic tourists will hopefully save the country’s tourism industry these summer holidays. PICTURE: PAM ABREY/PIXABAY