World Tourism Day: Western Cape Premier calls for Alert Level 1

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has called for the Cape province to be moved to Alert Level 1 immediately and for the termination of the National State of Disaster to celebrate World Tourism Day 2021.

He said It was not fair on small businesses, especially those in the hospitality sector, to have restrictions in place during this time of the year..

SAVING LIVES AND SAVING JOBS IN TOURISM INDUSTRY

“We must get the balance right in saving both lives and jobs, and we must be agile in ensuring that changes are made as soon as possible,” said Winde.

He said that the Western Cape had a total of 434 new cases daily based on the 7-day moving average, according to the technical definition, therefore the province would have exited the third wave when new infections were 15 percent of the peak or 530 cases a day on average.

Winde further said that he would like to call on South Africans from across our country to come and visit the Western Cape and enjoy their world-class facilities on offer.

READ: World Tourism Day: Adapting to the new normal of travel through digital skills

CALL FOR CITIZENS TO EXPLORE THE WESTERN CAPE

“I likewise encourage our own residents to explore the different regions of our province to see for themselves why the rest of the world loves coming here every year. In doing so, you will also help create jobs at a time when our economy needs it the most,” he said.

The Free State Provincial Government will be hosting the World Tourism Day Celebrations at the Village Squire in Clarens.

The tourism industry is one of the largest economic sectors in the world – creating jobs, driving exports, and generating prosperous local economies.

Winde also said that travelers from around the world were looking closely at our vaccination rates, and we need to get them as high as possible so that more and more people return to our county during our peak summer season.