Tourism Business Council urges against 'instant lockdowns’
The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has urged government not to impose instant lockdown restrictions over Easter.
The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) discussed possible stricter lockdown regulations ahead of the Easter holidays on Tuesday.
The tourism sector is one of the hardest-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and could face yet more setbacks if tighter lockdown restrictions are announced over the April holiday period.
The council’s CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa says mere rumours of tighter restrictions will affect the sector.
"We are hearing this rumour. Of course, they are not confirmed as yet but the fact that they are rumours. They erode confidence from the consumer's point of view when they are thinking of traveling.
"Just the rumours alone erode confidence. We have seen this with bookings declining or starting to slow down towards the coming long weekend. I think it is important to note that we have operated many other long weekends as the tourism industry, and we have done so successfully."
"There are people who are already traveling by the way and who have registered their trips and already started with their tourism experience across the country. So anything that needs to be announced should not close the inter-provincial travel because that is only the lifeline that the tourism industry has.”
He also doesn’t believe there is any justification for another ban on the sale of alcohol.
“Currently there is no justification for alcohol to be closed. Of course from the hospitality point of view, we do trade in alcohol in hotels, restaurants, and many other places.
"There is no justification at the moment because the hospitals are not full and the number of infected people are less."
Listen below
