The South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) has hired a London-based advisory board to lobby UK parliamentarians to remove South Africa from their red list, which means travellers from South Africa have to do mandatory quarantine in a hotel, Sowetan Live reports.
London Bridge. Image credit: Viktor Forgacs
The South African tourism body has raised R1.5 million from individual businesses in the tourism industry for the hiring of a London-based advisory firm to lobby UK government officials and MPs.
SA was put on the UK’s red list since late 2020 when there were concerns regarding the South African Beta variant of Covid.
Read: England extends Covid restrictions
With South Africa on UK’s red list, it meant that travellers entering the UK from South Africa would have to quarantine for 10-days in a hotel, with a fee of £1,700 (R33,300).
Aside from the inconvenience, this quarantine is also a huge financial strain for potential travellers, meaning that the number of visitors to South Africa is just a trickle.
It is estimated that this ban is costing South Africa R780 million a month, with more than 430 000 British tourists visiting South Africa in 2019.
David Frost, CEO of SATSA, which represents more than 1000 tourism businesses, including Sun International, commented that SA’s isolation is being met with silence and that the sector is now taking initiative because businesses are hanging by their fingernails.
Read: Sun International temporarily shuts down all hotels and resorts
According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office in the UK, travel to South Africa is strongly advised against all “but essential travel to the whole of SA base on the current assessment of Covid-19 risks”.
The Beta variant caused South Africa to be perceived as a no-go area by most countries, delaying recovery to the tourism industry which had previously relied on key European markets. South Africa has also been working hard to entice potential visitors from Asian markets as well.
With tourism experts fearing that it will be a long road to recovery, with many looking to 2024 or later before a return to pre-pandemic levels, the potential of easing travel restrictions to the UK, along with Virgin Atlantic announcing the recommencement of their UK-South Africa route, could provide necessary respite to a tourism sector struggling to cope.
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