Cape Town - Despite concerns about critical issues like the impact of Ebola on travel and the new immigration regulations, the tourism industry remains buoyant and shows an improved performance.
This was the finding of the quarterly Tourism Business Council of SA/FNB index.
The index showed a score of 105.3. With 100 being considered the norm, the latest result is an improvement on the second quarter score of 94.7 and the forecast third quarter result of 98.9.
The index has two sub-indices: accommodation (all types) and “other tourism businesses” which includes the transport sector, retail, forex traders, business tourism and attractions.
Many businesses said the weak rand exchange rate and strong overseas leisure demand were some of the key factors that had an influence.
“Once again, the latest results clearly demonstrate the resilience and immense economic potential of travel and tourism,” said Mmatsatsi Ramawela, the Tourism Business Council of SA chief executive. Referring to the Ebola outbreak, the report said 73 percent of respondents had not experienced any impact on their accommodation businesses.
Cape Argus