On the high level of the outdoor lawn of the Maropeng Visitor Centre in Gauteng, tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane breathed a sigh of relief.
“Two months ago, when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its worst, I wondered what the day would be like if the pandemic stage had remained as it was,” He said Sunday at International Tourism Day celebrations.
“Looking back, where tourism two months ago, we have a lot to celebrate. “
Since then, domestic tourism has reopened and foreigners are expected to resume this week. The celebrations took place in Gauteng after the government in the North Cape, where they were to be held, declared that they were not yet in a position to host the event.
Kubayi-Ngubane said the occasion was aimed at providing South Africa as a destination capable of hosting primary events while Covid-19 security protocols were being practiced. more than 72 hours before arrival would inspire tourism.
However, many tourism players anxiously expect the government to announce the list of safe countries from which it would be allowed, as President Cyril Ramaphosa said nearly two weeks ago, the list will be reviewed every two weeks.
“The list will be released through government as soon as it becomes available, however, it is undeniable that it will remain in what it is likely to be,” the tourism minister said.
Recreational users in countries with the highest infection rates and inadequate control of Covid-19 are expected to be unable to go to South Africa. However, tourism corporations complained that such a list would create too much uncertainty and that negative control of Covid-19 deserves to be the only condition for entering the country. But Kubayi-Ngubane said the government liked to take this step “one step at a time” so that it could “assess and perceive risks” and create a balance “between saving lives and livelihoods. “
He stated that “travellers are expected to prefer to travel to countries with a greater variety of attractions so as not to have to travel to several countries to enjoy other activities. “For this reason, South Africa would be popular because it is a long journey. “It offers a variety of tourist products in addition to the smart weather and the warmth of its inhabitants,” he said.
He said that with the dease threat of covid-19, South Africa “is arguably one of the safest tourist destinations in the world. “On Saturday, however, SABC reported that the World Health Organization had raised a red flag at 6% by accumulating Covid-19 infections reported in South Africa over the past seven days.
Although the tourism sector has been stagnant for longer than many other sectors, Kubayi-Ngubane said it believed it “will be the main driving force behind the overall recovery of the South African economy,” as it is characterized by “low barriers to access for entrepreneurs. “
He said that domestic tourism over the past month had paved the way for foreign travellers to receive and that she was convinced that in the future, domestic tourism, rather than foreign tourism, could be the main pillar of South Africa’s tourism sector, as a case, some other countries. To inspire this, the government was considering introducing a two-tier pricing formula: “one that speaks around the world and one that speaks to locals. “
Several tourist attractions that survived the closure already opened in August when some restrictions were lifted, however, the Maropeng site, which includes a guest center, a boutique hotel and services for occasions and the nearby Sterkfontein caves, remained closed because “the staff was “Training” intensive and needed proof before reopening,” said Barba Gaoganediwe, spokesman for the Gauteng Tourism Authority. These are the key tourist assets of the Gauteng government on the World Heritage site of the Cradle of Humanity, he told the Daily Maverick, and “we had to make sure everything is up to the task. “
World Tourism Day is a good opportunity to do so, he said. Black Coffee broadcast a live concert from the caves of Sterkfontein, where Ms. Ples’ skull and several other fossils were discovered, while the celebration, attended by 150 people, was held in Maropeng The sites are expected to open to the public on Thursday, October 1.
Gaoganediwe said Cradle’s three hundred accommodation and hospitality amenities were 98% occupied on Sunday, meaning the Maropeng Boutique Hotel had to open in particular to accommodate the media contingent invited to celebrate the occasion, adding the Daily Maverick. maintained, there was still no Wi-Fi and only the workers’ security staff was on site, doubling as doormen, receptionists and Covid-19 security guards.
In the old days, many of those who came to this four-star hotel were foreign tourists, many of those who come here are interested in paleoscience and are basically German, American, British and Ghanaians who come for recreational and clinical trips. On a general day, the site would also see the visit of many academics, as the cradle of humanity is a component of the school’s curriculum. Young people won’t come back this year, Gaoganediwe said, because they have too many paintings to catch up on after lockdown.
He admitted that relief in the public budget for the commercialization of tourism, made at the beginning of the blockade to redirect the budget to physical care, had had a “devastating effect” on operations. Next door, however, greater investment and collaboration between the public and personal sectors since the Covid-19 epidemic bodes well for medical tourism.
“Fitness investment will make us a competitive destination for medical tourists when they come looking for quality treatments, especially from the rest of Africa,” he said.
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