Editor –

The continued closure of the sector reeks of recklessness and ineptitude by the ministry.

Not only is tourism a far better flag-carrier than say South African Airways (SAA), it’s also one of the few industries left that earns South Africa significant foreign income.

Its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) surpasses both mining and manufacturing; these decimated by Eskom and the union’s agenda to ruin our productivity among our developing economy peers.

SEE THIS: Calls to open up the tourism sector

Tourism is, by its very nature, rural-based and here it plays a vital economic role.

It provides entry-level unskilled jobs for many poor youth who would otherwise get caught in the poverty cycle.
It allows unskilled youth to work and grow, specialising in various formal sectors, be it finance, catering, events, administration, management, utilities, etc.

Tourism is one of the only industries that still anchors communities in rural areas. Without it, small town schools will close as urbanisation ramps up, putting even more pressure on urban councils.

Tourism provides a spin-off for many rural-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that provide further work opportunities – be it audio visual, transportation, decor and equipment, personal care and beauty services, entertainment and arts, etc.

It seems logical that a family unit will be far safer from Covid infection out in a chalet in the bush, with its much lower population density, than they are in many urban settings.

The continued hard tourism lockdown, without any clarity as to when the sector will be opened, will be detrimental to the upcoming December season, as foreign tourists will be forced to book elsewhere.

What is desperately needed is clarity by the SA government on the way forward.

Thys Janse van Rensburg (Democratic Alliance councillor – KZN Drakensberg)

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