CAPE TOWN -
The adjusted level 2 lockdown has eased the rules for the tourism industry, however, international travel is still not allowed and there are no date estimates as to when the country will re-open its borders.
Tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane says South Africa will do great post-pandemic as investors line up and that tourists who want diversity will find that here without hopping between countries.
"If they want to go to the sea they can access that, if they want a nature reserve they are able to get that, and if they want scenery they are able to get that,” said Kubayi-Ngubane.
“And because of our diversity in terms of products, you are either an adventurer or you are a person who loves romance or you are an active person in terms of sports, we do have all that in terms of the product, so we are comfortable in terms of destination South Africa as a product to be able to sell it to the global market.
“The question on the date of international travel, I always say when I talk to my sector, that at the beginning I got myself into trouble because I used my own projections to determine how we’d be able to open, and then there were a lot of challenges, so I don’t want to get into trouble.
“So in terms of the risk-adjusted-strategy approach, there are no dates, we don’t work on dates, we work in terms of the risk," she said.
Meanwhile, restaurants, Airbnb’s, theme parks and guided tours are open, and Kubayi-Ngubane added that the tourism sector will have a recovery plan finalised once all their research and inputs have been consolidated.
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