The tourism industry in South Africa has taken a heavy hit during the nationwide lockdown, leaving many worse for wear. A recently released recovery plan by the Department of Tourism could turn the tide.
The recovery plan details predictions on how the country’s domestic and international tourism market will fare once reopened. The plan is based on current data and informed projections.
EWN reports that the Tourism Business Council of South Africa has welcomed the draft, saying recovery is expected to take place in the sector in the coming months.
According to the data and with the country continuing on its current trajectory, SA should reopen for travel between August 2020 and May 2021. The timeline all depends on how significantly the spread of COVID-19 in various provinces slows or accelerates over the next few months.
“Since indications of international border re-openings remain speculative at the time of writing, these dates represent the earliest likely date at which international travel will resume,” reads the report.
The positive outlook regarding the resumption of travel has been inspired by a continued plateau of the country’s coronavirus cases in some areas, especially the Western Cape.
A phased reopening of borders could be on the cards for the country in the near future.
“It is therefore likely that tourism recovery will experience a number of phases, from hyper-local community attractions, through broader domestic tourism, followed potentially by regional land and air markets, and then the resumption of world-wide international travel,” the Department said.
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