THE REVISED Covid-19 regulations welcomed by tourism sector.
On Tuesday President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa addressed the nation on revised changes on the pandemic regulations.
This means more traveling and events stand to benefit the already battered economy.
Tourism minister, Tourism Business Council as well as other businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry, have welcomed the move.
Lindiwe Sisulu, responsible for Tourism in SA said, they welcome the revised regulations as the department is looking forward to a brighter year for the country’s tourism sector recovery.
“Doing away with the requirement of a PCR test for all arrivals reduces the added cost and administrative burden to travelling.
“Increasing the numbers of people attending outdoor indoor events is a major boost for leisure travel and the Business Events industry. We look forward to South Africa hosting many more physical meetings and conferences that can be held at a larger scale,” the minister said.
“South African borders are open and we are ready to welcome regional and international visitors. Our globally-benchmarked norms and standards are in place to ensure the safety of all citizens and visitors alike,” says Sisulu.
“Now is a great time to travel for business and leisure, come and explore our beautiful country, we stand ready to welcome travellers near and far,” she said.
TBCSA says the revised regulations is most welcomed and will help improve both the sector and the economy.
Sun International Group said the move will help to stabilise the economy, curtail joblessness and create confidence for investors, following the Economic Investment Conference held this week in the country, of which Pres Ramaphosa addressed that has invested trillions into SA.
The South African Tourism is hard at work to welcome thousands of local and international guests at the eagerly awaited Tourism Indaba in Durban in May, after being cancelled for two-years.
It contributes millions into the GDP of our country.
This also makes way for other signature events to take place, so is sporting matches such as rugby, soccer and cricket, and others, as part of sport tourism.
However, some regulations will apply such as:
- Mask-wearing: Although no-one will be asked to wear a face-covering outdoors, they are still needed in public indoor settings – such as shops, malls, offices, or onboard public transport.
- Social distancing: In some indoor settings and mass gatherings, physical distancing will remain – but it has been reduced from 1.5 metres to one metre exactly.
- Funeral measures: Maximum limits of 200 people in attendance, night-vigils/after-tears also banned.
- Gatherings and stadium/arena limits: The gates are opening, but big venues will only be allowed to operate at 50% capacity. People will have to provide a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination. A maximum of 2 000 people will be allowed to gather at places that have no facilities to check these factors.
- Vaccination requirements: Venues for mass gatherings and selected indoor spaces will be given the power to only allow vaccinated citizens in. PCR tests for travel will also be dropped for the jabbed – but not for the unjabbed.
Image (TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa).
