Mayor Dan Plato welcomes indications that SA will be removed from UK red list

4 October 2021  

The UK is one of the biggest tourism markets for Cape Town and the Western Cape, and with strict adherence to comprehensive Covid-19 protocols already active in the hospitality industry, as well as the country’s continuing vaccination rollout, this sector is well-positioned to reopen fully, and safely.

Reports that South Africa will be removed from the UK’s red list are welcome, and we hope this will take effect soon as the tourism and hospitality sector desperately needs to get back on its feet without any further obstacles.

The global Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the sustainability of the tourism and hospitality sector, as it has across the world. The total foreign tourist spend in South Africa went from R81 billion in 2019 to R19 billion in 2020.

South Africa has endured more than 500 days of lockdown and we are repeating the calls for the state of disaster to be lifted. The Western Cape government and City of Cape Town have sufficient capacity to implement a differentiated approach to capably provide an effective health response and the necessary support to businesses and livelihoods.

Cape Town remains a preferred destination for tourists and removing South Africa from the red list would be a significant step towards recovery.

Issued by Greg Wagner, Spokesperson to the Executive Mayor, 4 October 2021