Press Release on behalf of FEDHASA

FEDHASA WELCOMES LIFTING OF STATE OF DISASTER; REITERATES CALL FOR REMOVAL OF PCR TEST REQUIREMENT FOR CHILDREN AGED BETWEEN 5 & 12

JOHANNESBURG, 6 APRIL 2022 – FEDHASA has welcomed the lifting of the state of disaster, bringing an end to many of the rules that have burdened the hospitality sector, such as temperature checks and contact tracing, which have proven largely unscientific to stemming the spread of COVID.

Says Rosemary Anderson, National Chair FEDHASA: “The past 750 days have placed an extraordinary burden on South African residents and businesses, not least requirements that were proven months ago to have no effect on limiting COVID infections. We are pleased that these have now been repealed and we can go back to rebuilding our businesses and lives.”

Remaining as a hindrance to this, however, are the issues of gathering sizes and the PCR test requirement for children between the ages of five and 12 years, Anderson says.

“We hope that our industry will receive certainty sooner rather than later with regards to hosting big events as the current restrictions of 50% mean that many of the international events we would host in South Africa would simply not be viable.

“For any medium- to long-term planning to take place and events business to be secured, we need certainty. This is an opportunity for us to position South Africa as a leading meetings, incentives, conferencing and events destination,” Anderson adds.

Further, FEDHASA has reiterated its call for the urgent removal of the PCR test requirement for unvaccinated children between the age of five and 12 years as this is damaging inbound family travel to South Africa as well as hindering South African families from travelling.

The issue, says FEDHASA, lies in the fact that many countries do not offer vaccinations to children between five and 12 years, and neither does South Africa.

“This means even if parents are fully vaccinated, a family with children aged between five and 12 years has no choice but to have to pay for PCR tests, which we know in certain countries like the UK is not only logistically difficult and onerous to obtain, but also expensive.  It is also difficult to do this when on a cruise holiday disembarking at one of our South African harbours or when returning from a visiting a remote bush camp either in SA or one of our neighbouring countries,” Anderson explains.

A Department of Sports, Arts and Culture Direction issued on 1 April, outlines that children under the age of 12 are excluded from the vaccination or PCR requirement in terms of “gatherings”.

“Why would we allow unvaccinated children between the ages of five and 12 to attend gatherings without having to furnish a PCR test, but not for entry into South Africa?” Anderson asks.

As we enter a new post-pandemic era, says Anderson, the tourism and hospitality industry understands the importance of meaningful engagement.  “We hope that Government sees the benefit thereof and we genuinely want to establish a partnership with Government to develop a plan on how to grow the tourism industry, market the destination and create thousands of new jobs – the tourism industry being a key potential driver of the economy and job creation.

FEDHASA believes South Africa should be making it as easy as possible for travellers to visit South Africa to make up for the massive job losses and lost revenue over the past two years. If job creation is top of mind for the South African Government, all regulations without any scientific base that prohibit the private sector from creating jobs should be removed.

“Government needs to realise that hospitality and tourism are being stymied by government policies, inefficiencies and red tape, such as the slow processing of licences which directly impacts our ability to create jobs. The biggest obstacle to tourism creating new jobs is this,” Anderson concludes.

Ends

About FEDHASA

Founded in 1949, a restructured and transformed FEDHASA (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa) is recognised by Government as the official representative of the hospitality industry of South Africa. With industry support, FEDHASA remains the umbrella association for hotels, restaurants, conference centres, caterers, self-catering accommodation, home hosting establishments (B&Bs and guest houses), clubs, taverns, shebeens, suppliers and trainers, consultants and service providers to the hospitality industry. For more information, visit https://fedhasa.co.za/

Contacts:

Natalia Rosa

Big Ambitions

Tel: 083 449 4334

Email: natalia@bigambitions.co.za

Flight Centre Travel Group welcomes new entry requirements

JOHANNESBURG, 23 MARCH 2022 – The Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) welcomes the announcement yesterday by President Cyril Ramaphosa scrapping the PCR test requirement for travellers entering South Africa from Wednesday 23 March 2022. Travellers may now instead present proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test result if they are partially or non-vaccinated.

“We have eagerly been waiting for this announcement for several months. We are delighted that as of today, fully vaccinated South Africans returning from their leisure or business travel overseas and international visitors to our country no longer need to present negative PCR tests at the port of entry,” says Euan McNeil, Managing Director, Flight Centre Travel Group South Africa. “The news comes just in time for the Easter holidays which bodes well for the popular holiday period.”

“Although we have seen fantastic growth in booking numbers month on month, costly PCR tests were a barrier for many customers as this regulation created additional complexities and paperwork for travellers. Countries around the world scrapped the need for negative PCR tests for fully vaccinated travellers and have reaped the tourism benefits. We are confident that easing travel restrictions and COVID regulations will boost the travel industry and economy, fuelling the increase in business travel and creating more demand for leisure travel, locally, regionally and abroad.”

Oz Desai, GM of Corporate Traveller, one of Flight Centre’s business travel brands, agrees. “Business travel has been on a slower recovery or trajectory to leisure travel, and the PCR requirement for vaccinated travellers was an undeniable barrier. Now that the final barriers are beginning to fall, we anticipate a rise in business bookings as travel becomes altogether simpler and more enjoyable.”

“We are ready to welcome back visitors to our beautiful country,” concludes McNeil. “And for South Africans to enjoy more hassle-free travel after the incredible complexities of the last two years.”

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FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP SOUTH AFRICA

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) SA is part of Flight Centre Travel Group, an Australian-based international travel company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. The company is listed on the ASX, with a market cap of AU$3.76 billion and a current share price of AU$18.85 as of 23 March 2022. Flight Centre Travel Group South Africa is a level 1 BEE company with three leading brands: Flight Centre, Corporate Traveller and FCM. FCTG SA is wholly owned and has been recognized as one of Deloitte’s Best Companies to Work for in South Africa for 14 consecutive years.

Issued By

Claire Lathe

Big Ambitions

Claire@bigambitions.co.za

SCRAPPING OF PCR REQUIREMENT SIGNALS BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY

CAPE TOWN, 22 MARCH 2022 – ASATA has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the onerous and costly PCR test requirement will be scrapped for travellers to South Africa from Wednesday 23 March as a vital step in rebuilding the travel and tourism industry. However, the association warns that the draft health regulations will still need to be reviewed and amended to ensure the PCR test for travel will not be re-introduced with the lifting of the State of Disaster on 16 April 2022.

President Ramaphosa stipulated that travellers may now present proof of full vaccination or a negative PCR test result if you are partially or non-vaccinated. The new rules will be a boost to the South African travel and tourism industry ahead of the Easter holidays.

“ASATA has lobbied tirelessly for the past 8 months directly and through the TBCSA for the government to scrap PCR tests for fully vaccinated travellers. There’s no denying that the costly PCR test required for travel has been a major obstacle to the travel industry’s recovery. The requirement for travel left South Africa on the backfoot compared to many other countries in the world that either waived testing for fully vaccinated travellers or allowed inexpensive and quicker rapid antigen tests,” says Otto De Vries, CEO ASATA.

However, De Vries warns that the draft health regulations, which are currently open for comment, will need to be reviewed and amended. “Although the draft legislation indicates that vaccinated travellers won’t need to present a negative PCR test for entry into the country, there is a real danger with the proposed legislation that components of lockdown legislation are being written into permanent law,” warns De Vries.

What’s more is that the draft legislation also stipulates that all persons exiting the Republic must have a full vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours, regardless of the destination entry requirements.

Research in other countries has shown that the easing of COVID restrictions has an undeniable positive impact on travel and tourism numbers. Recent research from ForwardKeys, for example, revealed that flight bookings to and from the UK soared following the government’s announcement that Covid-19 testing would no longer be required for fully vaccinated travellers entering the UK.

The day after the announcement by UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, combined inbound and outbound flight bookings jumped to 84% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels, outbound to 106% and inbound to 47%.

“We can expect a similar positive trend for travel to and from South Africa when the entry restrictions have finally been relaxed. We would therefore like to urge the public to highlight their concerns with the draft regulations to ensure the PCR test for travel is scrapped once and for all for vaccinated travellers,” concludes De Vries.

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To request an interview with ASATA CEO, Otto de Vries, please contact Claire Lathe on 084 245 2189 or email claire@bigambitions.co.za.

For more information about ASATA, please visit www.asata.co.za.

About ASATA

Established in 1956, the Association of Southern African Travel Agents is a representative forum registered as an Association of Persons, that promotes professional service in the travel industry for both members and their clients. Representing over 95% of the travel industry in terms of market share, ASATA’s membership is voluntary and includes South African retail travel agents, travel management companies, wholesalers and suppliers of travel-related products and services.

Issued by Big Ambitions:

Natalia Rosa

natalia@bigambitions.co.za

083 449 4334

“In just under a month’s time, thousands of travel industry stakeholders will visit the City of Cape Town to attend Africa Travel Week to reignite travel across the continent. South Africa’s decision to remove the mandatory requirement for a negative PCR test to enter South Africa bodes well not only for the event which will be hosted live for the first time in two years, but also to position destination South Africa as tourist friendly and ready to welcome visitors. We are delighted to be welcoming our tourism industry partners across the globe to the host City of Cape Town for this hallmark trade event which will highlight the extent to which South Africa and indeed the continent are travel ready.”

The removal of the requirement for a PCR test to enter South Africa will be a massive game changer for Tourism to our region. This forward thinking by the health department and SA government is in line with international trends and will enable a much quicker return to pre covid tourism numbers when SA was in constant high demand. Our neighbouring countries too will benefit greatly due to the main access airports into the region being in South Africa!

Press Release on behalf of FEDHASA

PCR TEST REMOVAL FOR INBOUND TRAVELLERS A MAJOR BOOST FOR SA’S HOSPITALITY SECTOR – FEDHASA

JOHANNESBURG, 22 MARCH 2022 – FEDHASA has welcomed today’s announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa, removing the requirement for fully vaccinated inbound travellers to provide a negative PCR test to enter South Africa.

Says Rosemary Anderson, FEDHASA National Chairperson: “Many destinations have already removed the requirement for vaccinated travellers to furnish negative PCR tests.

“Accessibility plays a major role in travellers’ decision-making when selecting a destination and the PCR test has always been a major stumbling block hampering inbound travellers, who do not always have easy and affordable access to PCR testing in their own country.”

The cost and inconvenience of mandatory PCR tests are exacerbated if travellers are visiting multiple destinations in Southern Africa over the general two-week or 10-day holiday period, adds Anderson.

The news is welcome relief for hospitality businesses which are fighting to rebuild, preserve jobs and contribute to the economy, she adds.

“Mass unemployment is one of the biggest problems facing South Africa and our sector holds the key to economic growth and job creation. For us to realise our potential and be the catalyst our economy needs, decisive decisions based on science and global best practice are required sooner, rather than later,” Anderson says.

“FEDHASA is pleased that South Africa has aligned itself with other major international destinations which require only proof of vaccination for travellers to visit. We must now spread the word that South Africa is open and ready to welcome visitors to our shores,” Anderson concludes.

Ends

About FEDHASA

Founded in 1949, a restructured and transformed FEDHASA (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa) is recognised by Government as the official representative of the hospitality industry of South Africa. With industry support, FEDHASA remains the umbrella association for hotels, restaurants, conference centres, caterers, self-catering accommodation, home hosting establishments (B&Bs and guest houses), clubs, taverns, shebeens, suppliers and trainers, consultants and service providers to the hospitality industry. For more information, visit https://fedhasa.co.za/

Contacts:

Natalia Rosa

Big Ambitions

Tel: 083 449 4334

Email: natalia@bigambitions.co.za

Our tourism sector has been waiting for this day with great anticipation. The requirement of a PCR test for international travellers who have been fully vaccinated has been a major deterrent to inbound travel, particularly for those travellers who use South Africa as a hub through which to visit neighbouring destinations, such as Victoria Falls.

Many countries around the world have already scrapped the PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers and there had been concerns that by lingering over this decision, South Africa would lose its attractiveness as an accessible and welcoming tourism destination.

We really have a small window of opportunity to attract our international travellers back to South Africa so that we begin the long and arduous process of rebuilding. Removing the PCR test requirement for vaccinated travellers will go some way in helping us to achieve this.

Press Release issued on behalf of SATSA

STOP DITHERING AND REMOVE THE NEGATIVE PCR TEST REQUIREMENT FOR FULLY VACCINATED INBOUND TRAVELLERS NOW – SATSA

JOHANNESBURG, 10 MARCH 2022 – SATSA has slammed Government’s dithering over the removal of the PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated inbound travellers, saying it is irrational, incomprehensible and prejudicial to rebuilding South Africa’s tourism sector.

The Department of Health confirmed last week that it would be presenting various proposals to the NCCC which could, if approved, make it easier and cheaper to travel. Missing from the presentation was a definitive date when this would occur.

The Tourism Sector has for months been lobbying Government to allow resident and non-resident travellers to enter South Africa provided they are fully vaccinated, while still requiring non-fully vaccinated travellers to furnish a negative PCR test prior to departure.

There is no scientific reason for the PCR test requirement for inbound travellers, says Professor Marc Mendelson, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town.

“Unless we test every citizen and visitor every three to five days, the PCR test requirement for travel is meaningless. We do not have a travel-related surveillance programme and we don’t act on it, even if we did,” says Professor Mendelson.

“We have been left to languish for months with promises that the PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers was being reviewed. Considering there is no scientific base for this requirement in the first place, we find it unconscionable that Government’s intransigence over this decision has widespread implications for the survival of tourism businesses and consequently the preservation and growth of jobs,” says David Frost, CEO SATSA.

The PCR test requirement remains one of the last impediments to travel, based on cost, inconvenience and perceptions of uncertainty around travel postponement and cancellation should just one member of a travel group test positive.

Further a vaccinated traveller poses minimal, to no, health risk to the destination population. Government has already taken a pragmatic approach to internal restrictions – no curfew no quarantine requirements for contacts, no contact tracing, reducing the isolation period and no isolation for asymptomatic cases.

“This progressive approach should be extended to removing the requirement for a negative PCR test for inbound fully vaccinated travellers,” says Frost.

With non-vaccinated arrivals still providing the reassurance of a negative PCR test they are also overall less likely to be infected than virtually all South Africans, 99% + of whom will not have been recently tested.

Keeping the PCR test requirement in place simply makes no sense, Frost adds. “Our Government was righteously indignant with the knee-jerk reaction of governments to Omicron, placing South Africa on red lists overnight without basing the decision on science. Yet, when presented with the same compelling evidence, South Africa moves at a glacial pace to lift a requirement that other countries have recognised is completely redundant.”

It smacks of double standards, says a frustrated Frost, who believes there is no reason why the requirement should not be lifted immediately and promulgated in CoGTA State of Disaster Regulations, followed by clarifying Directions from the various Departments.

“When our neighbours, such as Botswana, which understand their reliance on tourism as an economic sector, remove tests for vaccinated travellers, and we still require tests, they gain a competitive advantage over us as a destination,” Frost concludes.

Ends

About SATSA

For the past 50 years SATSA has been known as the voice of inbound tourism in Southern Africa. SATSA is a non-profit, member-driven association representing over 1,300 companies in all facets of the region’s inbound travel sector.

SATSA members offer a wide range of products and services. The appearance of the SATSA logo is a sign of our members’ quality and commitment to service excellence and it offers peace of mind and recourse for consumers.

Issued by Big Ambitions Marketing PTY Ltd.

Claire Lathe

Email: claire@bigambitions.co.za

Tel: 084 245 2189

PCR TEST REMOVAL FOR INBOUND TRAVELLERS WOULD BE A MAJOR BOOST FOR SA’S HOSPITALITY SECTOR – FEDHASA

JOHANNESBURG, 4 MARCH 2022 – FEDHASA has welcomed today’s announcement by Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, that proposals will be made to the NCCC in the coming week for amendments to travel requirements which could make it easier and cheaper to travel to South Africa.

Details will only be available after these proposed new regulations are presented to the NCCC and approved, he said in a press briefing today.

Rosemary Anderson, FEDHASA National Chairperson, says the removal of the PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers is imperative if businesses are to begin rebuilding the tourism and hospitality sector.

“Many destinations have already removed the requirement for vaccinated travellers to furnish negative PCR tests, most recently South Africa’s neighbour, Botswana.

“Ease of accessibility plays a major role in travellers’ decision-making when selecting a destination and the PCR test has always been a major stumbling block hampering inbound travellers, who do not always have easy and affordable access to PCR testing in their own country,” she says.

The cost and inconvenience of mandatory PCR tests are exacerbated if travellers are visiting multiple destinations in Southern Africa over the general two-week or 10-day holiday period, adds Anderson.

It has also been particularly damaging for the cruise line industry as the impossible logistics of organising PCR tests and processing them above cruise liners has reduced South Africa’s attractiveness as an itinerary stop.

The approval of these proposals would be welcome relief for hospitality businesses which are fighting to rebuild, preserve jobs and contribute to the economy, she adds.

“Mass unemployment is one of the biggest problems facing South Africa and our sector holds the key to economic growth and job creation. For us to realise our potential and be the catalyst our economy needs, decisive decisions based on science and global best practice are required sooner, rather than later,” Anderson says.

Ends

About FEDHASA

Founded in 1949, a restructured and transformed FEDHASA (Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa) is recognised by Government as the official representative of the hospitality industry of South Africa. With industry support, FEDHASA remains the umbrella association for hotels, restaurants, conference centres, caterers, self-catering accommodation, home hosting establishments (B&Bs and guest houses), clubs, taverns, shebeens, suppliers and trainers, consultants and service providers to the hospitality industry. For more information, visit https://fedhasa.co.za/

Contacts:

Natalia Rosa

Big Ambitions

Tel: 083 449 4334

Email: natalia@bigambitions.co.za