Sisulu pleased with EU taking SA off red list
TOURISM Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is well pleased with the decision by European Union (EU) countries to remove South African from the red list after the discovery of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Sisulu said that while this was welcomed, it came after the peak tourism season when the country suffered a R1billion blow due to booking cancellations and travel bans. The minister has, however, welcomed EU visitors to the country with their safety guaranteed.
“We remain grateful and open and we appreciate the continued support from various partners across the world,” Sisulu said.
She also thanked the tourism sector for lobbying to have the country lifted from the red list.
“This is the culmination of the sustained advocacy efforts and dedication of all the tourism stakeholders. The war room which we put up is yielding results. Let us continue to work hand in hand to revive our industry,” added Sisulu.
A department statement said EU member states had agreed to lift the air travel ban on South Africa and other Southern African countries, which would allow more travel to resume.
The statement further said that travellers from that region would still be subjected to health measures applicable to travellers from certain countries.
“European nations had suspended most air travel from Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe as scientists scramble to assess the severity of the Omicron variant,” said the statement.
“South Africa received 10.2 million international overnight visitors in 2019. In 2020, this dropped sharply to 3.2 million – almost 70% fewer than in 2019. The number of inbound visitors in 2021 hampered by travel bans remained low,” said the statement.