Leisure travel within provinces the first step on the road to recovery – but may be too little too late

STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND ASSET MANAGEMENT, ALDERMAN JAMES VOS.

I welcome the reopening of leisure travel, within provinces, as announced by the Minister of Tourism today. I have engaged the Minister numerous times to call for the reopening of the travel and tourism sectors for leisure, in a bid to stem the jobs bloodbath.

This would be on the strict condition that the health and safety protocols already in place for business travel, are also in place for leisure.

I further welcome the extension of the curfew to 22:00 to allow restaurants to serve dinner at this peak time. However, the curfew should be completely removed if we are to allow the hospitality industry to start to recover from the devastating effects of one of the harshest lockdowns worldwide.

I have personally conducted numerous sector engagements with the hospitality industry including wine farms, restaurants, guest houses and tourist attractions. I can confirm that the Cape Town travel, tourism and hospitality industries are ready to get back to work and have the necessary measures in place to keep employees and customers safe.

I receive emails, calls and messages daily from desperate business owners, both large and small, who say that they face permanent closure if they are not allowed to reopen urgently. I have been impressed by the extent and comprehensive nature of the health and safety protocols they have put in place in anticipation of being allowed to reopen and welcome their employees and customers back.

I will today write to the Minister of Tourism, Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane; Minister of Transport, Mr Fikile Mbalula and Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to again call for the unfettered reopening of the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. I will include some of the many submissions I have received from business in these sectors.

I will continue to engage my national counter parts to ensure that we are allowed to get back to work, particularly in the tourism, travel, hospitality and related sectors. I do not make this plea lightly but on the basis that hundreds of thousands of jobs are on the line and we cannot afford to wait any longer.