Regional borders may open soon to help boost tourism Posted by Anita Froneman on 8 September 2020 South Africa’s regional borders may open soon if the COVID-19 infection rate continues to decrease, Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said at a press briefing on September 4. Government is considering creating a regional travel bubble with African countries of similar infection risks, Kubayi-Ngubane said. South Africans may soon travel within the continent. ‘Africa land markets form the bedrock of tourism in South Africa. This region alone accounts for 71% of international arrivals. This would give a further boost to the recovery efforts of the sector,’ she said. ‘The rise in domestic tourism together with regional travel will help us build confidence for global travellers so that when we eventually open all our borders, we will be able to attract travellers as a safe destination.’ The Minister also expressed Government’s welcoming of a spike in local travel. ‘Since we moved to level 2, we have seen an upsurge in demand driven by domestic travellers,’ she said. ‘We believe with proper messaging and targeted marketing the domestic demand can reignite the sector and put the tourism industry on a growth trajectory and put our recovery on firm footing.’ Several domestic tourism campaigns like the Western Cape’s ‘We are Open’ have been launched in recent weeks to encourage South Africans to support the industry. Also read: Hoteliers hope South Africans will ’embrace the industry’ Image credit: Unsplash Related Posts 7 countries that celebrate Easter differently to South Africa 2 April 2023 Here's how some nations are observing the Easter holiday in colourful, epic and sometimes head-scratchingly... read more 5 amazing picnic places around Pretoria 26 September 2022 Pretoria and its surrounds have no lack of beautiful parks, fields and reserves where you... read more 20 things to do on rainy days in Cape Town 18 August 2022 There's plenty to do on rainy days in Cape Town and all of these activities... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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