Accommodation sector faces slump as tourists cancel bookings due to travel ban

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JOHANNESBURG – The National Accommodation Association of South Africa has said around 90% of small lodges and guesthouses may soon have to close due to the number of booking cancellations.

This follows travel bans imposed by a number of countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, after the discovery of the Omicron variant COVID-19.

More than 18,000 new cases have been detected in the last 24 hours under review.

During the same period, 21 COVID-19 related deaths were recorded.

The majority of new infections have been recorded in Gauteng, which is struggling with a fourth wave.

National Accommodation Association president Rosemarie van Staden said the industry was facing a total collapse

“We are talking to people on a daily basis who can no longer keep their doors open and there is simply no more leisure income, so it is really a difficult situation for the guest house industry,” a- she declared. .

Van Staden said South Africa’s tourism sector was heading for a dismal festive season.

“Families who were supposed to come to Gauteng to visit their children, weddings have been cancelled. Nobody knows if we can travel, so a lot of people are now canceling their reservations,” Van Staden said.

Meanwhile, ambassadors from 16 African countries are pressuring the US government to immediately lift its COVID-19 travel ban on eight African countries.

In a joint statement, the ambassadors of the Southern African Development Community claimed that the restrictions are unfair and negatively stigmatize the African continent.

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