This week’s comment of the week did not come from a reader but it struck a chord with us.
Spokesperson for the #IamTourism lobby group, Thembi Kunene-Msimang, said:
“The general perception of tourism is that it is the preserve of well-heeled local and international tourists taking a holiday. The reality is that much of tourism is, in fact, travel for business, conference and trade purposes.
This type of travel has been as negatively impacted by the COVID lockdown as holiday travel, and both make a significant contribution to South Africa’s economy, although many may not even regard it as tourism,
The value chain of tourism is long and deep, running from car rental to aviation, accommodation to restaurants. Contributing some R120bn (€5.9bn) in foreign exchange from visitor receipts in 2018, adding up to about 8.7% of South Africa’s exports – second only to mining – tourism really is more than palm trees and piña coladas. Its potential to reignite South Africa’s economy cannot be underestimated.”
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