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September 13, 2020 – 00:04
Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, executive director of the Tourism Business Council, says that if the government does not announce before the end of this week when South Africa’s borders will open again for international tourism, the local industry will miss the lucrative summer season that began in September. “We have been telling the government and parliament since June that September is when we need to open. We have not had an adequate response. Now we need them to announce a date.” Every day that international borders remain closed costs the industry R336m, she says. The borders have been closed since March 18. South African tourism lost 748 million rand a day until domestic travel, which accounts for 56% of tourism spending, was allowed from July. When announcing “tourism month” in early September, Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said the borders would be opened for international tourists “earlier than expected”, subject to risk assessments by “experts.” Tshivhengwa says this kind of statement is useless to the industry. “Soon is not a date. We don’t need to open soon, we need to open now. Now, now, now.” The industry itself has consulted extensively with medical and scientific experts about the risks. “I don’t understand why the decision to open this country has not been made, because there is no scientific reason [to keep it closed]. “He says he believes the industry has done enough to mitigate the spread of the virus. The urgent need now is to save the jobs that still remain in the industry. He met with representatives of international airlines and they are ready to fly to SA, he says. He has met with ambassadors from European and African countries who say their people are ready to travel to SA. “We have established protocols and have been exemplary in following the protocols. We have used technology, we have been training our people, we are ensuring compliance. “We are ready to receive guests. We are already receiving guests from national tourism. There is no significant risk that international guests will assume.” . “Zimbabwe has announced that its borders will be opened for international tourists from October and Namibia and Malawi have made strong announcements.” Many African countries are preparing for opening. We are the last country on this continent that has not announced a date for the reopening. “Citing the example of Emirates, which brings international tourists to Zambia, he says that African countries that have opened up to international tourism are going to capture the market while SA waits for the cabinet to make a decision.” be the hub of South Africa if we keep pushing the reopening date back. ”Since June, the Tourism Business Council, which Tshivhengwa, 41, joined in 2018 after more than 20 years in the industry abroad and in South Africa, Comprehensive Presentations to the President, Minister and Tourism Portfolio Committee, says. “We present the facts. The problem is that we do not get feedback. We have been largely ignored. The government must act quickly. We cannot have this drip, drip, drip. “We need to make decisions and be intentional in decisions. We cannot, on the one hand, say that we have to save jobs but, on the other hand, not make the decisions that would save jobs. “Even the decision to open national borders came very late in the day, he says.” We had been advocating for them to open before. We were probably a month late to open for national leisure travel. “He says that despite the best efforts of the industry,” there is still not a full understanding in government of what tourism is and does. There must be an urgency to understand the contribution of industry to GDP and employment. “We have been singing this song to everyone in government, reminding them that tourism contributes 8.6% of GDP and 1.5% million jobs.” He says there is no excuse for the government not to appreciate the importance of the industry and the impact on the economy when it is not working. “You can read the documents. You can see the numbers that show the closing of businesses, the bloodbath.” We are simply saying: read what we have shared with you. That’s why we don’t need to open anytime soon, we have to open now. “About 300,000 people at SA work in the international inbound travel space, he says.” They rely on international travelers coming to SA in our summer season, which begins in September. “If we lose that ship, half of them will have to.” This is in addition to the 50,000 who have already lost their jobs, he says. Just by announcing a date, the government will allow tour operators to start trading and taking deposits. “Right now they are sitting waiting. All they’ve gotten from the government is that ‘we will open the borders soon.'” It says the government doesn’t know takes tourism as seriously as its role in the economy demands. “Tourism is one of the main job creators on the web. But there is this lack of understanding in government about what tourism is and how it creates jobs. it sees it as an industry where people have fun and travel and go places. They don’t equate that with job creation. And even more so in rural areas. ” The government still needs to understand that when people travel and go to restaurants, hotels, hostels, and B & Bs, it creates jobs. “People in government must take this industry at least as seriously as mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and retail. They need to understand the relationship between tourism and these other sectors and how much tourism benefits them. ” He says he believes that the government’s dismissive attitude towards tourism, which is also seen in the damaging debacle of the full birth certificate, is also due to the persistent perception that it is a white industry. But the small and medium-sized businesses that dominate the industry and are closing by the thousands due to closure and border closures are businesses that were contributing to the transformation. “Tourism is an industry based on entrepreneurship that is an integral part of the transformation process.” He says that a change in attitude on the part of the government could see the contribution of tourism to GDP rise to 12% in the next five years. “But the government must play its role.” Business Times asked for comment from the department, but received no response.
