Players in the tourism and hospitality industries took to the streets across South Africa on Wednesday [July 22] to peacefully protest against lockdown regulations.
The #JobsSaveLives started by chef Liam Tomlin has taken social media by storm over the last week. Restaurant owners and staff posed in front of their establishment with a sign stating how many jobs would be lost if regulations weren’t changed. Some stood with signs stipulating how many jobs had already been lost.
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#jobssavelives #endthelockdown Give us back our human right to.make a living
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#jobssavelives #togetherwerisetogetherwewin #weareone #letssaveourrestaurants
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to reinstate the alcohol ban with immediate effect on Sunday July 12 served a hard blow to the already debilitated industries.
This, coupled with an evening curfew and the breakneck speed in which government banned, unbanned and rebanned leisure travel has brought these industries to their knees. Tour operators, accommodation offerings, restaurateurs, wine farms, craft breweries, independent farmers and so many more are faced with the reality of closing forever.
In June, the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) said that over R68bn in tourism spend had been lost since the beginning of lockdown.
In a statement, released on July 20, Statistics SA said: ‘The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown regulations since 27 March 2020 have had an extensive impact on economic activity. Measured in nominal terms (current prices), total income for the tourist accommodation industry decreased by 98,0% in May 2020 compared with May 2019.’
The statement continued: ‘Income from accommodation decreased by 98,5% year-on-year in May 2020, the result of a 98,0% decrease in the number of stay unit nights sold and a 24,2% decrease in the average income per stay unit night sold.
‘In May 2020, all accommodation types recorded large negative year-on-year growth in income from accommodation. The main contributors to the 98,5% year-on-year decrease in income from accommodation were: hotels (-98,2% and contributing -65,9 percentage points); and ‘other’ accommodation (-98,8% and contributing -27,4 percentage points).
‘Income from accommodation decreased by 77,0% in the three months ended May 2020 compared with the three months ended May 2019. The main contributors to this decrease were: hotels (-77,1% and contributing -51,0 percentage points); and ‘other’ accommodation (-76,4% and contributing -21,6 percentage points). Seasonally adjusted income from accommodation decreased by 96,8% month-on-month in April 2020 and decreased by a further 20,7% month-on-month in May.’
Many in the hospitality and tourism industries are calling out their insurers as they refuse to pay Business Interruption claims.
Robert More, CEO of the MORE Family Collection, started a petition calling on insurance providers to pay their claims. More said in a statement: ‘All along, the Insurers have said that they need the courts to provide legal certainty that they are liable, before they honour their clients’ claims. We now have that certainty, but we don’t see any insurer stepping up. The true test of a company’s ethics and values is how they treat their most vulnerable customers at their time of need. Thus far, the actions of these goliaths don’t match their words, which are all centred on behaving responsibly and in line with deep ethical values. Actions speak louder than words, and their actions continue to be unethical.’
To sign the petition, click here.
Image credit: Instagram/ humblecoffeeza
