South Africa: tourism to defeat the pandemic

South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, has reaffirmed the vital role of the tourism sector in the recovery of the country’s economy following the devastating coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister, who yesterday participated in a webinar on the recovery of the tourism sector, said: « We are convinced that tourism will be one of the fastest-growing sectors when the recovery comes and that it will be one of the key sectors to stimulate the global economy« .

In front of her virtual audience, she explained that the tourism recovery plan will rest on three pillars.

– Protecting and innovating on environmental issues: «  i.e. focusing on business continuity risks, aligning the value chain with new biosecurity standards, preserving access to air, as well as facilitating investment and market access« .

– Reloading demand: « this will require a robust domestic marketing strategy, the flexibility to respond decisively to an uncertain global environment and responsiveness to changes in national and international consumer preferences ».

– Strengthening enabling capacities – « we need to implement mechanisms to facilitate travel to and from the country through activities such as piloting and deploying the e-visa system, to simplify the visa and entry process ».