The tourism sector, which was brought to a halt due to COVID-19 restrictions, is showing signs of recovery with an indicator being the increase in international arrivals.<\/p>\n
This is according to Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu who tabled the department\u2019s budget vote to a mini-plenary of the National Assembly on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to ACSA, air travel to and from South Africa has reached its highest levels of activity since the COVID-19 pandemic \u2013 almost 2.3 million through OR Tambo, Cape Town, Durban in March \u2013 up 70% from the previous year.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecovery is being bolstered by international arrivals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sisulu said South Africa was among those African destinations that experienced the biggest declines in arrivals in 2021: 78% down when compared to 2019, while countries in East Africa were not as deeply affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cCape Town International Airport’s total passenger activity had increased to 66% of levels last seen in the first quarter of 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cJanuary and February this year saw strong growth in arrivals from the UK, Netherlands, Australia, Germany, Switzerland \u2013 549% up in 2022 versus 2021 from our top 10 source markets (Stats SA).\u201d <\/p>\n
Sisulu said as a result, international airlines can’t keep up with the demand for travel to and from South Africa, resulting in stubbornly high airfares made even worse by soaring fuel prices.<\/p>\n
MoUs with Emirates, Qatar Airlines to grow SA\u2019s tourism market<\/p>\n
Sisulu said tourism has always been one of the most lucrative activities, contributing billions to the local economy in job creation and small business development.<\/p>\n
However, since the onset of the pandemic, the July unrest in 2021 and the devastating April floods, the sector has suffered losses estimated to be in the billions. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast week we announced that during our attendance at the Arabian Travel Market, SA Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Emirates Airlines to grow the tourism market in South Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cAir travel is a key pillar for South Africa\u2019s tourism recovery and we expect this will boost visitor arrivals. It will promote tourism and inbound traffic to South Africa from key markets across the Emirates network,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sisulu said the Middle East is a critical market for South Africa and that the collaboration would be instrumental in ensuring ease of access to and from South Africa for travellers from this region.<\/p>\n
She said this would also help to elevate South Africa\u2019s trade efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cA similar effort is underway with Qatar Airways,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: South African Government News Agency<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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