Re-opening of hospitality industry a huge boost to the economy

Lamont added that the company will be adopting a phased approach to opening both its resorts and offices throughout the country.

July 4, 2020

Lolo Madonsela 1 minute read

First Group managing director Shaun Lamonth.

First Group – which is a leading resort and hotel chain with popular destinations around South Africa, Namibia and the United Kingdom – could not be happier following the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the Tourism and Accommodation sector will be allowed to re-open shortly under a new relaxed version of Lockdown Alert Level 3.
Managing director Shaun Lamont said, “I was thrilled to receive the news and we look forward to welcoming the return of our guests and staff.” He added that while First Group was ready and definitely eager to re-open, they do need to wait a little longer to receive the protocols from government. “We are not 100% clear yet as to when we will be allowed to physically open our doors and we are also eagerly awaiting final clarity on any possible travel restrictions (which are still in place to assist in flattening the curve),” said Lamont. Lamont was confident that as soon as government gives the green light, the group’s resorts will be open to receive guests. He said that extensive preparations that have been put in place during lockdown, which included liaising with the Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA) and the various tourism councils, to formalise the drafting and implementation of rigorous safety protocols for the various First Group resorts.

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“In consultation with the various councils, we developed a new ground-breaking programme called PristinePurposeCleaned (PPC), which is designed to optimise guest safety from check-in to check-out, transforming each and every resort and hotel into a Covid-safe zone,” he said.
Lamont added that the company will be adopting a phased approach to opening both its resorts and offices throughout the country.
“Safeguarding the health of our guests and colleagues will remain our top priority as we slowly re-introduce a level of normality into our lives. Staff will return to work gradually, taking into consideration the occupancy levels,” added Lamont.