Free State aims to lure tourists as sector starts road to recovery
Updated | By Sibahle Motha
Free State Tourism MEC Makalo Mohale believes the time has come for South Africans to once again explore South Africa.
The country will celebrate Tourism Month in September.
Mohale says the Free State offers an all-in-one experience which caters for everyone.
“At the area where we are hosting the activity, Thabo Mofutsanyana, we call it our tourism jewel of the province. We offer almost all in one in the Free State. We have both political history and educational issues.
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“On the tourism side, every region has something to offer. Those who will be in Clarens, we pride ourselves with the landscape of the area. The mountains that keep the snow right in the middle of summer where it joins Drakensberg, Lesotho and Qwaqwa. That’s what that area offers. You then go to the area of Gariep, it is a Karoo type semi desert area and offers unique plantation.``
The tourism sector, which has been one of the hardest-hit by Covid-19, continues to bear the brunt of the deadly virus.
The level 3 lockdown restrictions imposed by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month continues to impact a vast number of tourism-related businesses due to the regulations and operating hours.
Mohale says that the province is still recovering from the 2020 lockdown.
“As a matter of fact, because of the restrictions we didn’t do well in terms of tourism as you’d know that the tourism activities in its nature are about traveling. The lockdown was about restriction of traveling. We have seen most of our outlets and tourist attractions suffer a big blow especially under level four and level five, where literally all the hotels and guest houses were closed.”
Since the beginning of the lockdown, the tourism sector has been allocated over R200 million in relief funds.
In the Free State, close to R75 million has been allocated to small businesses and the sector to help them cope with the challenging times.
“Most of the establishments were closed but what we have done as a province, we have assisted many of them to apply for the reliefs in Tourism which were offered by nationals. We have also allowed them in the relief scheme, the province of the Free State spends close to R74.9 million in terms of small businesses for Covid-19 relief, “ adds Mohale.
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