The UK’s decision to retain South Africa in the ‘Red list” has upset the country’s hope for revival of tourism sector.
- The country with its rich wildlife and picturesque scenery has been a major attraction for tourists from the UK, especially during the northern hemisphere winter.
The UK’s decision to retain South Africa in the ‘Red list” has upset the country’s hope for revival of tourism sector. The country with its rich wildlife and picturesque scenery has been a major attraction for tourists from the UK especially during the northern hemisphere winter.
Tourism accounts for three percent of the nation’s economy. Before the pandemic, the sector used to provide employment for more than 700,000. The country was shut off from the rest of the world for most of 2020 due to the spike in COVID 19. Several countries banned travel to South Africa after the discovery of the Beta variant in December. Recently, after the cases declined, the tourism sector was slowly reviving.
Britain’s decision to keep the country on its coronavirus “red list,” is a major deterrent for travellers as they must pay for hotel quarantine on their return to the UK. Tourists from Europe and the US can currently holiday and then self-isolate at home upon return. The UK move to keep South Africa on its red list of high-risk countries, means that anyone arriving from South Africa is forced to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, costing more than $2,400 (2,000 euros) per person.
