The travel industry has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that December 27 will be a public holiday, saying a four-day long weekend will encourage domestic travel, with international travel volumes not yet at 2019 levels.
Ramaphosa used the Public Holidays Act to declare Tuesday December 27 a paid holiday because Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, meaning Monday should become a public holiday, but it is one already.
The act allows 12 paid public holidays a year and, before the announcement, workers would have received only 11 holidays, the presidency noted in a statement.
But the extra day will be costly for employers.
After two years of muted demand over the holidays, thanks to Covid-19 travel bans and fears of the virus spreading, many in the embattled tourism industry are hoping for a bumper festive season.
Hotel industry body Fedhasa’s national chair, Rosemary Anderson, was delighted at the announcement.
“Every holiday makes a difference and with this additional holiday, one can take four days off, without having to apply for leave, so it will definitely have an impact on more decisions to take last-minute Christmas special bookings up.”
The tourism industry received very little government support during the pandemic and now faces a constrained consumer battling rising interest rates, increased fuel and food prices and the worst load-shedding on record.
Anderson noted the tourism industry also had to contend with water pollution, disruptive water supply, poor roads and safety and security issues.
But the industry, which contributed 3.7% to GDP in 2019 (pre-Covid) has reason to be optimistic.
“Last year this time our tourism industry was facing a harsh backlash with the world’s response to the Omicron variant, so in comparison to last year, our industry is in a much stronger position and far more positive,” said Anderson.
Cindy Sheedy Walker sales & marketing at the Extraordinary group of hotels and lodges said they had noted that locals had left it quite late to book their December holidays.
At the same time, lodges are not yet seeing demand from foreigners reach levels before the pandemic.
“Domestic travel has been a key driver of our recovery, particularly for our lodges in the Limpopo area, with international inbound travel numbers looking healthy, but still not at 2019 levels. We have made sure we’re continuing to cater for local travellers by tailoring rates to suit their needs.”.
Anderson said international inbound tourism was still only about half of what it was before the pandemic.
“We are lagging behind a number of our African sister countries, where some of them are already boasting figures in excess of pre-Covid numbers.”
But, on a positive note, some of the larger hotel groups are reporting occupancy rates over the festive season that are very close to pre-Covid levels, she said.
Anderson added that while the industry is not expecting the same number of guests as in 2019, it is hoping for higher returns per guest. “Travellers are opting for longer stays and higher-end accommodation to make up for what they perceived they missed out on during the pandemic.”
The areas most popular with international tourists are the Kruger National Park, game lodges and Cape Town. American tourist numbers are rising the most, she said.
Guy Stehlik, CEO of BON Hotels, said the extra holiday was a wonderful opportunity for locals to travel.
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