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By Marvin Charles 
22h ago
Cape Town – Coastal cities identified as Covid-19 hotspots along the Garden Route and in the Eastern Cape are reeling as tourists cancel vacation reservations after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the closure of popular beaches.
Plett Tourism Acting Executive Director Patty Butterworth said: “The negative impact of the announcement of the Garden Route beach closure has already begun. Accommodation cancellations have been confirmed and more cancellations will undoubtedly follow, causing further damage to our local economy.
“We are in a state of total shock. The news is nonsense. The closure of the beaches will play absolutely no role in curbing the spread of Covid-19 on the Garden Route, as there is no evidence of the spread of the virus on our beaches.
“On the contrary, by closing the beaches and encouraging people to restrict their activities to the city and other areas, there is a risk of overcrowding in areas such as restaurants and shops and a greater possibility of spread in other areas that are of concern. . “
Plettenberg Bay receives approximately 35,000 tourists during the festive period. The cost of cancellations is expected to run into the millions of rand, which could lead to further job losses and business closures. This is yet another blow to the tourism industry, which was among the worst hit during the initial harsh lockdown in March.
Knysna Tourism CEO Colleen Durant said: “After the president’s announcement Monday night, we have seen 415 cancellations online and these cancellations are worth around R4 million. But these losses could differ because many of the hosting companies have lowered their rates to compensate for the losses, so they could be around R10 million or so.
“Beach closures would have a fundamental impact on surrounding businesses and there is very little we can do about it.”
In areas with the highest infection rate, beaches and public parks will be closed during the holiday season from December 16 to January 16, 2021.
This applies to the entire Eastern Cape, as well as the Garden Route district in the Western Cape. In KwaZulu-Natal, beaches and public parks will be closed on what are traditionally the busiest days of the season.
These days are December 16, 25, 26 and 31 and January 1, 2 and 3.
According to the Provincial Government, many small businesses have suffered a 100% cancellation rate within the first 24 hours of the enactment of the amended regulations.
Prime Minister Alan Winde said: “The decision to close these beaches for the entire holiday season will deal a devastating blow to the region’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism for survival. This will lead to significant job losses and we are very concerned about this. Nor is it based on rational scientific evidence.
“I wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting that he urgently consider amending the disaster management regulations in terms of which beaches in the Garden Route district have been closed.
“During our consultations with President Ramaphosa prior to the promulgation of the amended regulations, we outlined our position that the beaches should remain open.”
Cape argus
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