Green shoots for tourism industry
SA’S removal from UK’S red list an added boost
South Africa’s battered tourism industry is starting to show some green shoots following a decline in Covid-19 cases and the relaxation of lockdown regulations.
Data from Statistics SA show that in July, 652 337 travellers passed through South Africa’s ports of entry/exit. They were made up of 221 704 South African residents and 430 633 foreign travellers.
The breakdown of the tourists by region is as follows: 22 877 from overseas; 125 380 from the SADC countries and 2 732 from “other” African countries.
The statistics indicate that the leading overseas countries in terms of the number of tourists visiting South Africa in the month under review were from the US with 8 445 visitors, the UK with 1 489, India with 1 241, Germany at 1 204, The Netherlands with 1 076, France at 861 and Spain with 636.
The leading SADC countries in terms of the number of tourists visiting South Africa in July were Mozambique with 38 171 visitors, followed by Lesotho with 27 766 and Zimbabwe with 25 412.
When looking at other regions of the continent, the country welcomed visitors from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Uganda, Gabon, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal. The data, taken when the country was still in level 2 regulations, bode well for the industry.
At the start of this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa moved the country to alert level 1, which is seen as a further boost to the industry and economy.
Another boost for the industry is the decision by the UK to remove South Africa from its red list. The decision means South Africans travelling to the UK will no longer have to endure an expensive 10-day hotel quarantine.
Travel agency The Flight Centre Travel Group said its revenue for October shot up by 89% across its leisure brands following the decision by the UK government. “The number of new air tickets issued from South Africa with London as the final destination have increased fivefold since the 7th of October,” said Sue Garrett, general manager supply, pricing and marketing.