Much has changed across the tourism landscape since the country’s first, tentative steps out of national lockdown earlier this year.
What hasn’t changed – and is unlikely to change in the near future – is the vital importance of a full and uncompromising adherence to stringent safety protocols, even as we begin to resume normal tourism activities, says ECPTA CEO Vuyani Dayimani.
“We cannot let up. We cannot relax our guard, even for a second. There is simply no place in our industry for any form om COVID fatigue if we are going to regain the losses of the past nine months, and reposition our industry for growth.”
Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa agrees.
In South Africa, our biggest weapon in the fight for tourism revival is the industry’s approved Health and Safety Protocol, he says.
“The tourism sector has been allowed to reopen because it was collectively able to prove to government that the industry could safely operate under the health and safety protocols,” he said.
“But government continues to keep a very close eye on our sector and if government loses confidence in our ability to keep citizens and tourists safe, we will face dire consequences.”
The message to industry is that there has to be zero tolerance for non-compliance within the sector – for the foreseeable future.
“We need to ensure compliance and control across the board, and we need to hold those who do not comply, accountable for their actions.”
The latest edition of the TBCSA protocols, which has been formally endorsed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), are available for download at https://bit.ly/3aqMD85.
TBCSA has also developed a free Travel Safe – Eat Safe certification programme, which encompasses a centralised registration system and app as well as comprehensive training for businesses and staff.
ECPTA again urges all products owners to download the protocols and to continue implementing them, without respite, for the duration of the holiday season.
“Of all the new normals we will be navigating over the weeks and months to come, this is, without a doubt, the most critical – the new normal of a zero-tolerance, safety-first approach to all tourism and leisure activities.”
For more information about the protocols and the Travel Safe, Eat Safe programme visit https://tbcsa.travel/covid-19-protocols/.
