Ramaphosa must heed the call to save Tourism now

24 May 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) understands that President Cyril Ramaphosa is consulting with stakeholders in the tourism sector who have requested to meet with him.

We hope that the president will listen to the stakeholders as the tourism recovery plan presented by the National Department of Tourism envisages the sector opening up only in December. Already many people working within this sector have lost jobs and companies are closing down as a result of the lockdown.

Government’s tourism recovery plan has been drawn up in isolation without taking into account, and speaking to, the various lockdown levels. It arbitrarily foresees the revival of tourism in only 12 months' time, while also arbitrarily labeling the next 6 months as a “readiness” period, thus ignoring the realities on the ground. The tourism sector simply cannot wait to fit in with an illogical and ill-conceived one-dimensional government plan.

Certain sub-sectors within the tourism and travel sector can immediately open up due to its nature which already respects social distancing in any event. These include, amongst others, self-catering accommodation and country accommodation which have isolated and self-contained accommodation units.

Unless the president heeds the desperate calls by the tourism, hospitality and travel sectors, much of these and associated sectors will be mostly decimated within a few weeks, retarding by years any progress made within the sector.

The DA is presently preparing a researched, scientific and statistically-driven alternative tourism plan, with the objective of minimizing any further destruction and job losses within the sector, which we plan to present to government shortly.

Issued by Manny de Freitas, DA Shadow Minister of Tourism, 24 May 2020