According to research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the South African economy could face massive losses of more than R181-million for every week that it remains on the UK’s “red list” for travel.

All UK travellers, regardless of their vaccine status, travelling to countries on the “red list”, which includes South Africa, are required to cover the expensive cost of a ten-day hotel quarantine upon returning to the UK, plus the fees for Covid-19 tests.

The approach taken by other European countries, such as Germany, France and Switzerland, where quarantine is no longer required for fully vaccinated citizens travelling to South Africa, can still slow the spread of Covid-19, while enabling mobility and providing a boost to the economy, states the WTTC. 

Based on 2019 UK visitor numbers and spending, the global tourism body’s research shows these restrictions, which are deterring British persons from travelling to South Africa, could represent losses of over R790-million every month, equating to more than R26-million a day.

WTTC senior VP Virginia Messina bemoans the impact of the UK’s restrictions, stating that it is “not only damaging the travel and tourism sector, but also economies around the world”.

She referred to data, which showed that every day South Africa remains on the UK’s “red list”, the country faces losing millions of dollars, effectively delaying the global socioeconomic recovery.

“Our data shows how vital the travel and tourism sector is to rebooting the country’s economy,” Messina avers.
The WTTC is calling on governments around the world to accelerate the roll-out of vaccines as a catalyst to restart international travel and rescue the struggling global travel and tourism sector. 

“We are also encouraging governments of red-listed countries to work closely with their UK counterparts to ensure the very latest data is shared, so the country can be removed from the economically damaging red list, to the amber list as soon as possible,” the WTTC suggests.

In the UK, more than half of all adults have been fully vaccinated, which significantly reduces the risk of any citizens travelling abroad. While the vaccine roll-out has picked up pace, the figure is, however, considerably lower in South Africa.

The WTTC says it is critical for the South African government to continue ramping up the vaccination programme to restart international travel. 

According to the WTTC’s yearly ‘Economic Impact Report (EIR)’, in 2019, South Africa was among the most popular destinations for UK travellers, accounting for 7% of international visitor spending, representing R9.4-billion.  

The report also shows the severe impact the pandemic has had on South Africa’s employment, with over 470 000 jobs lost owing to the restrictions on international travel.

The EIR also reveals the devastating effect Covid-19 has had on South Africa’s economy, with the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy having decreased from R363-billion (6.9%) in 2019, to just R182-billion (3.7%) in 2020. 

International visitor spending also plummeted by 66%, from more than R134-billion in 2019, to R46-billion in 2020.