Pretoria – Reviving the city’s tourism industry in the face of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is top of the agenda for the newly elected Tshwane Tourism Association Board, which has promised to hit the ground running.
The association recently announced the new board was elected in November by its members. They would finally be stepping into their roles this year to lead and champion the local tourism industry.
Chairperson Nico Rowan said in taking over the helm of the ship, the 12-member board would be looking into lobbying the government not to pursue another alcohol ban as it had all but collapsed the Tshwane hospitality and restaurant industries.
Rowan said lockdown regulations such as the ban on alcohol and 9pm curfew made it impossible for the industries to draw customers in or ensure their staff were home on time.
The restrictions directly affecting the industry were unfair as most businesses were not spreaders of the virus due to the fact they maintained controlled environments and followed extensive protocols in order to keep their guests safe, he said.
“There are many things we feel we want to lobby for the industry this year, but more importantly for there to be more inclusive restrictions and have them cemented to avoid further damage to the local economy. Up until now, there has been no communication or consideration by the government.
“We’re also hoping to implore the government to seriously consider the country’s PR status, as the more negative news gets out there about the new variant the more unlikely we’ll be able to draw the international markets back on to our shores.”
Rowan said they were equally excited about working alongside Tshwane mayor Randall Williams, who had been brave to stand alongside the hospitality industry in calling for certain restrictions to reviewed by the government.
Williams last month called for the national government to urgently review the continued ban on alcohol sales in order to avoid causing further harm to crucial economic sectors in the country.
His remarks, however, were unwelcome and even elicited heated criticism from councillors from the EFF and ANC, who demanded he withdraw his statement on liquor.
Despite this backlash, Rowan said they were pleased someone was fighting in their corner and rtaking a serious look at the impact of restrictions on local businesses.
He added they would also be focusing on bidding for future conferences and events to be brought into the city as it had an abundance of venues and accommodation available.
“We have a beautiful city and more than enough destinations and tourist attractions. And now with the arena, we need to start bidding for huge meetings and indabas to rather be brought here.”
Pretoria News