AN outbreak originating in the central China city of Wuhan, which was identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a novel coronavirus in January 2020, has drawn comparisons to the 2003 SARS outbreak, which infected
more than 8 000 people around the world.
This outbreak was lethal to nearly a tenth of that number, and had a prolonged negative effect on travel and tourism.
In the wake of the deadly coronavirus in the Far East, one ought to pose a pertinent question: what implications does it have for SA’s tourism industry?
The coronavirus, according to media reports has arguably caused irreparable damage to the tourism industry not only in SA but also throughout the whole world. For instance, the following notable mega-events have been cancelled
due to this deadly virus:
• Formula 1 race that was meant to take place in Shanghai;
• Mobile World Congress that was going to be held in Barcelona; and
• Hong Kong and Singapore World Rugby Sevens.
It is important to highlight the logistical nightmare that takes place before the aforementioned mega-events are held.
As such, cancelling one or two is a blow to all stakeholders involved more especially from a public relations point of view.
However, one of the challenges facing the tourism industry is that it is operating in such an unpredictable space.
A deadly virus outbreak can easily cause some panic and harm to the industry, because we live in a globalised world.
This is why some countries did not hesitate to ban flights coming from Asia, more especially from China.
It is interesting to note that the South African government has not banned any flights coming from China, in stark contrast to the action taken by countries such as the USA.
Somewhere, somehow it is ‘understandable’.
It needs to be borne in mind that SA’s economy has battled over the past decade but the tourism fraternity has risen to the occasion despite the bottlenecks it is engulfed with.
The formation of a stand alone National Department of Tourism (NDT) back in 2009 was nothing but an acknowledgement of and appreciation for the role played by the sector in the country’s economy.
SA as a developing country heavily relies on sectors such as tourism for its economic growth and development.
The SA government has coined the tourism industry as a ‘new gold’, and prides itself for offering unique products, more especially for foreign markets.
These range from the big five, exquisite weather, diverse languages and cultures, and great cuisine to pristine beaches, which have been instrumental in attracting an influx of tourists from countries such as China, USA,
Germany, England and France.
In other words, tourism has been one notable industry that is resuscitating SA’s ailing economy.
Nonetheless, though, it cannot do that alone.
Other industries such as mining, manufacturing, etc. have to come to the party as well.
There is no doubt that the coronavirus has had an adverse impact on SA’s tourism fraternity.
For instance, arrival of tourists from China has decreased (despite the tourism industry no doubt being an enabler in terms of jobs provision (both direct and indirect) for many families in SA.
The tricky thing though about this deadly virus is that it is beyond the control of tourism policymakers, practitioners, etc.
SA’s tourism industry has been through a lot in the past decade or so.
One believes that if government authorities handle this saga in such a meticulous fashion, this could bring less harm to the country’s ‘new gold’.
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