[ad_1]
The risk-based approach regulating international travel published by the national government yesterday (September 30, 2020) is a severe blow to the tourism and hospitality sector in the Western Cape, says the minister of finance and economic opportunities of the province, David Maynier.
Maynier said that the survival of the tourism and hospitality sector depends on international leisure travelers in the summer season.
For this reason, it is critical that the country look for smart ways to open our international borders, especially for key source markets, so that it can save jobs and save the economy, he said.
“We will collaborate with the national government and prepare an additional presentation proposing an alternative to the risk-based approach to international travel.
“We strongly believe that the safety precautions of a 72-hour PCR test and screening protocols must be applied across the board, regardless of the purpose of travel and country of origin.”
Maynier said this approach has already been adopted by the national government with business travelers, so it makes little sense to exclude leisure travelers in this way.
It is unfair to restrict leisure travelers from high-risk countries, as there simply isn’t an increased risk of transmission based on the purpose of the trip, he said.
“South Africa’s airline, hotel and tourism companies have shown that travel and tourism can be safely resumed and, with strict health and safety systems, there should be no need to impose additional travel restrictions by country.”
Barrier to reserves
Maynier said there are also concerns that the two-week review period of the leisure “no-travel list”, along with the requirement that business travelers from high-risk countries email the Department of the Interior. To request permission to travel, it will create a barrier to visitor bookings in key traditional source markets during the critical summer season.
It also does not allow enough waiting time on which airlines can base their decisions to fly, creating more uncertainty for an industry that has already been hit hard, he said.
“We have worked hard to ensure that Cape Town and the Western Cape are safe for travelers and ready to welcome international visitors, because our leisure travelers from key source markets such as the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands and France take advantage of the maximum our favorable exchange rate and have a high spending potential that positively impacts our local economy ”, he said.
South Africa opened its international borders for the first time in more than six months on Thursday (October 1) as part of the country’s move towards a level 1 blockade.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor told a press conference on Wednesday that the government has developed a list of high- and low-risk countries that will be allowed to travel to and from the country according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization for a period of seven days. period.
You can find the full list of countries here.
Read: Here is the full list of high-risk countries that will not be allowed to visit South Africa
[ad_2]
