It will take between two to three years for SA’s tourism industry, which is one of the biggest casualties of Covid-19 lockdown regulations, to recover to pre-pandemic levels and for international tourists to return to the country in their droves.
By October 2020, when borders were reopened by the government, the arrival of international tourists fell by 91% compared with October 2019, according to SA Tourism figures . Travel by local tourists across SA and the arrival of tourists from neighbouring African countries have been equally in the doldrums.
According to the Department of Health, more than 10,000 healthcare workers had already been successfully vaccinated by Saturday 20 February under Phase One of the inoculations. This phase focuses on the vaccination of frontline health workers. Sisa Ntshona, the CEO of SA Tourism, supported Tshivhengwa’s view, saying: “If the vaccine roll-out is slow, then we [SA] will be perceived [by international tourists] as a risk and danger. And people won’t come to SA.”
“The environment is so volatile. You can take a holiday in SA and your country of origin can announce new lockdown rules such as mandatory quarantine or Covid-19 testing. The world order in terms of travel is subdued.”