The National Accommodation Association of South Africa said about 90% of small lodges and guest houses may soon have to shut their doors due to the number of booking cancellations.
This follows the travel bans imposed by a number of countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, after the discovery of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
More than 18,000 new cases were picked up in the last 24 hours under review.
In the same period 21 COVID-19 related deaths were recorded.
The majority of new infections were recorded in Gauteng, which is in the grips of a fourth wave.
Chairperson of the National Accommodation Association Rosemarie van Staden said the industry is facing a total collapse
“We are daily in conversations with people who cannot keep their doors open anymore and there is just no income anymore from leisure so this is really a predicament for the guest house industry,” she said…
Van Staden said South Africa’s tourism sector is in for a bleak festive season.
“Families that were supposed to come to Gauteng to visit their children, weddings have been called off. Nobody knows whether we can travel so a lot of people are now cancelling their bookings,” said Van Staden…
Meanwhile, ambassadors from 16 African countries are lobbying the US government to immediately lift its COVID-19 travel ban against eight African nations.
In a joint statement, the ambassadors from the Southern African Development Community argued the restrictions are unfair and negatively stigmatize the African continent.
-EWN
In other news – 8 months later: AKA shares romantic video with late Nelli Tembe (WATCH)
Mzansi rapper AKA remembers his late fiancee, Anele Nelli Tembe on her 8th month death anniversary. The 11th of April, 2021 was a sad day, as the 21-year-old was announced dead after jumping off a storey building, where she and the rapper lodged.
Taking to Instagram this Sunday, Supa Mega shared one of their Tik Tok videos. In the video, Anele was busy doing her thing in the kitchen, while AKA came in to serve some leg works, and she also joined in the dance. Learn More
