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A third of the guesthouses on the Garden Route indicate that they have lost at least 50% of their reservations for the holiday season.
This is according to a survey conducted by an online accommodation reservation system provider, NightsBridge, following the recent amendment of coronavirus level 1 regulations.
Most small lodge owners had pinned their hopes of survival on their bookings for the season after the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed in late March.
Theresa Emerick, CEO of NightsBridge, said: “These hopes were dashed with the announcement that all Garden Route beaches would be closed until January.”
About 166 guesthouses participated in the NightsBridge survey, with 86% reporting 746 cancellations among them after last Monday’s announcement.
Emerick said 11 Garden Route property owners reported an 80-100% loss of income for December and January.
Additionally, 169 bookings were postponed until early next year, April 2021, or even December 2021.
“While that means that homeowners could keep some of the deposits they had already received, it immediately reduces their future income opportunities,” Emerick said.
“About 20,000 reservations that were due to arrive in December and January were canceled in the two weeks prior to last Monday’s announcement. In the Western Cape, 12.7% of arrivals on the NightsBridge system have been canceled. “
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