The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) has warned that the halting of commercial flights into Plettenberg Bay Airport would hurt the region’s tourism sector, which in turn would hit the wider regional economy. Located in the extreme southeast of the Western Cape province, the town of Plettenberg Bay lies within the scenic and popular ‘Garden Route’ tourism region.

Commercial flights to and from the airport were suspended on August 12 when the South African Civil Aviation Authority downgraded it because of a failure to comply with the required standards. The fault lay with the Bitou municipality, a fact which emphasised the necessity of better local governance, affirmed Fedhasa in its statement.

“It is a municipality’s mandate to provide a platform where business and residents can live and thrive in an environment that facilitates growth and employment – not the opposite, as is the case regarding Plettenberg Bay,” stressed Fedhasa East Coast chairperson Brett Tungay. The halting of flights to the airport, he warned, would significantly damage the area’s economy and cost jobs.   

“The unfortunate, unintended consequence of the suspension of commercial flight operations to Plettenberg Bay is that the tourism value chain on the Garden Route will be negatively affected,” pointed out Tshwane University of Technology tourism management lecturer Dr Unathi Sonwabile Henama, in the Fedhasa press relelase. “The Garden Route is one of the most popular tourist routes and the region is highly dependent on the tourism and hospitality industry for jobs and economic growth. When the tourism industry sneezes, the whole Garden Route economy catches a cold.”

There might also be wider economic effects, stemming from the rapid development of the phenomenon of ‘semigration’ (internal migration within South Africa). In recent years retirees and still-active professional people have been moving to smaller cities and towns, especially in areas of the Western Cape, such as along the Garden Route. ‘Working from home’ had reinforced this trend, Henama noted.

“Semigrants commute over weekends and long weekends to these smaller towns and cities using smaller airports [such as Plettenberg Bay] that have shown a healthy growth in passengers,” he said. “Semigration presents a distinct and uniquely South African experience in ‘Visiting Friends and Relatives’ tourism, which dominate domestic tourism expenditure in South Africa.”