HPCSA CEO placed on precautionary suspension over corruption allegations

Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane. Image via: Daily Sun / Lindile Mbontsi / Gallo

Kubayi-Ngubane: ‘Tourism sector will recover post-COVID-19’

Since the country went into lockdown in March, the tourism industry has suffered losses in their billions, with most international travel having been cancelled – a move which trickles down to the aviation industry

HPCSA CEO placed on precautionary suspension over corruption allegations

Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane. Image via: Daily Sun / Lindile Mbontsi / Gallo

The Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has expressed confident in the sector, saying it will overcome the economic battering it took in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kubayi-Ngubane addressed the Pretoria National Press Club on Friday, September 4, 2020.

Since the country went into lockdown in March, the tourism industry has suffered losses in their billions, with most international travel having been cancelled – a move which trickles down to the aviation industry.

“We have a firm belief that tourism will be one of the fastest growing sectors in the recovery period and it will be one of the key sectors that will drive the overall economic recovery”, she said.

Since the time the country moved to level 3, government managed to open sub-sectors incrementally, one step a time, until it secured interprovincial travel at level 2, which has been a great boost for the recovery of the sector.

Kubayi-Ngubane: At least 500 000 jobs on the line

The department has released a draft plan, which Kubayi-Ngubane said envisaged a scenario where the coronavirus stabilises by September.

“In this regard our plan predicted that the recovery will experience a number of phases, from hyper-local community attractions, through to broader domestic tourism, regional land and air markets, and lastly, resumption of worldwide international travel,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.

The minister added that had government not intervened, the sector would have lost between 500 000 and 600 000 jobs.

Kubayi-Ngubane said they would soon be working towards the reopening of international travel.

“We are monitoring the risk of the virus spread and we are satisfied with the current downward trend of new infections, if sustained, can fast-track the reopening regional borders soon.”

Reopening international travel

The minister said tourism activities were expected to resume only at level 1. She added that they were initially uncertain whether they would have reason to celebrate as a sector during Tourism Month, which in September.

“Faced with sceptics who could not wrap their heads around the idea of the tourism sector operating in the midst of pandemic, we worked collaboratively with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to develop protocols and guidelines for the operation of the sector, turning sceptics into cheerleaders of the sector”.

She said they believed that with proper messaging and targeted marketing, the demand for domestic travel can reignite the sector and put the tourism industry on a growth trajectory.