Flights banned and bookings cancelled as ‘South African variant’ causes reputation damage
The South African tourism industry says that the country risks losing out on millions of rands because of concerns around the so-called ‘South African-variant’ of Covid-19.
The variant, which was first discovered by scientists in the country, has unfairly led to South Africa being targeted as a destination for tourists to avoid, industry stakeholders told parliament last week.
Because of this, major lucrative events – such as the planned Lions rugby tour – were in jeopardy, and accommodation and flight bookings were already being cancelled.
In response, the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) said that the country needs to come out with a unified message indicating that 41 other countries have seen a similar variant and that it is not unique to South Africa.
There has been a push to refrain from referring to the virus as “the South African variant”, and instead use its scientific name of 501Y.V2.
A United States presidential proclamation published at the end of January blocked entry for individuals who were physically present in South Africa for a 14-day period prior to entry.
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