Economic activity in the tourism sector, which had initially been scheduled to begin in level 2 and 1 of the Covid-19 coronavirus-enforced lockdown, will be allowed with some restrictions under level 3, which kicks in on Monday
Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said on Saturday that the opening up of some business operations in the sector – which was mostly dormant during levels 5 and 4 of lockdown – was a welcome relief.
Under level 3, she said, restaurants would remain open for delivery or collection of food, but those with liquor licences would also be allowed to sell alcohol for takeaway and delivery. The minister said public and private game farms would be open for self-drive excursions; hunting and gaming activities are also allowed; and hiking would be allowed in compliance with existing guidelines and not in groups.
She said the tourism sector should be at the forefront of deploying solutions focused on safety and early detection to be used by tourists and tourism employees alike. Kubayi-Ngubane said the tourism relief fund to ensure the survival of small, medium and micro enterprises in the sector provided a once-off capped grant of R50 000 per entity to subsidise expenses towards fixed costs, operational costs and other pressure cost items.
“The opening up of hunting will also be a big boost to the tourism sector. The hunting industry contributes an estimated R2 billion [direct spending] annually to the tourism sector, and it also contributes to employment in rural areas.”
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