Our proposed strategy: Enable all worldwide vacationers with adverse PCR take a look at
The chance-based strategy regulating worldwide journey launched by nationwide authorities final week (30 September 2020) has created pointless confusion and uncertainty within the journey and tourism trade, and far misery for individuals who are determined to return to family members, go to our lovely province or resume enterprise operations as safely as potential, and so we once more reiterate our name for a overview of those restrictions as quickly as potential.
The present restrictions enable enterprise travellers from high-risk international locations to enter South Africa with a adverse PCR take a look at, however not leisure travellers, which is unnecessary and is unfair. There’s merely no larger threat for transmission of the Covid-19 virus primarily based on the aim of journey, but the adverse influence of constant to restrict the entry of leisure travellers to South Africa, particularly from our key supply markets, is extreme and excessive.
Worldwide markets are a key financial driver for the tourism sector within the Western Cape, and so the total reopening of our borders to leisure travellers, with stringent well being protocols in place forward of the summer time season is completely essential to the sector’s quick restoration, medium-term stability and long-term survival.
That’s the reason immediately (07 October 2020), I’ve written a letter to Minister of Cooperative Governance and Conventional affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, with an hooked up submission detailing an alternate strategy to securely open worldwide journey in a means that avoids confusion and uncertainty.
We suggest the next:
Eliminate risk-based nation categorisation mannequin.
Require all travellers to current a PCR take a look at on arrival, performed no less than 72 hours previous to arrival.
The PCR take a look at consequence mustn’t need to be signed by a medical practitioner (In lots of international locations testing is performed by a lab and outcomes issued electronically).
Require all travellers to obtain the Covid-19 alert app and full the vacationer locator type to make sure that particulars of the journey, together with lodging and size of keep, are captured.
Display screen all travellers on arrival on the airport by Port Well being officers.
If a traveller shows any signs they are going to be referred to a devoted non-public testing centre on the airport (these will have to be arrange), which will likely be on the travellers personal expense. It will stop the usage of public transport to succeed in testing services and subsequently will restrict the potential unfold of the virus.
Any travellers who take a look at optimistic will likely be required to quarantine at an lodging venue of their selecting for 10 days and at their very own expense.
Paperless processes have to be urgently developed for all visa purposes and different residence affairs processing.
Clear and simple to entry data must be supplied on authorities webpages, which have to be up to date usually.
Travellers who go to South Africa for enterprise must be permitted to increase their keep for leisure functions.
The tourism sector is a significant contributor to the economic system and employment in South Africa and within the Western Cape. In 2019 worldwide tourism contributed R81.2 billion in whole overseas direct spend (excluding capital expenditure) in South Africa. Leisure travellers from key supply markets comparable to the UK, United States, Netherlands and France profit from our beneficial change price and have a excessive spending potential which positively impacts our native economic system.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, job losses are predicted to be most extreme within the tourism trade with an estimated 75 000 jobs at quick threat, affecting 43.1% of the trade with a possible lack of 61% of GVA within the Western Cape.
Moreover, a considerable proportion of tourism companies are geared in direction of worldwide markets with many not capable of pivot (totally) in direction of home markets as worldwide vacationers keep longer than home vacationers they usually additionally spend way more per day per journey. Given disruptions to the college calendar, the home journey season may additionally be a lot shorter this summer time. These motivations additional reinforce the significance of worldwide arrivals the tourism sector’s restoration, stabilisation and survival.
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We now have labored exhausting to make sure that Cape City and the Western Cape is protected for travellers and able to welcome worldwide guests. We now have held many engagements with the tourism trade on implementing well being and security pointers, launched a office security marketing campaign throughout radio and digital platforms, our healthcare system has persistently proved it might adequately reply to the Covid-19 pandemic and we’re assured within the measures have been put in place for ample screening at Cape City Worldwide Airport. For our efforts, we’ve been awarded the WTTC Security Stamp within the Western Cape.
Because the rules stand, leisure tourism will stay severely constrained with a substantial threat of additional job losses, and so I’ll proceed to interact with nationwide authorities in order that we are able to help jobs and improve financial exercise within the Western Cape and South Africa throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
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