Mark Havercroft, Minor Hotels Regional Director for Africa, believes that hotels are at risk of becoming Covid-19 hotspots if the industry does not implement the correct procedures.
He said when the hotels reopen in South Africa and within the continent, they need to assure the safety of guests and team members in every way possible.
“Hotels are at risk of becoming hotspots from which infection can be spread further. It is vital to have stringent protocols in place to assure the safety and comfort of guests and the welfare of team members.
"Both the world, and the capacity for safe travel, has changed intractably. Travellers heading out into the world amid an ongoing pandemic will, understandably, be overcautious," he said.
He said it was the responsibility of the tourism industry to create a safe environment for travellers.
There is a fine line between having adequate safety measures being put in place and breeding discomfort. The Covid-19 threat is an invisible one, making it harder to comprehend than, for example, the need for metal detectors for security purposes (sadly ubiquitous in the hotel industry in many locations). It cannot be ignored in these challenging times the necessity for precautions remains and must be rolled out with the consideration of guests in mind," he said.
Havercroft suggested that the industry should reopen strategies and hygiene policies internationally while considering the requirements, customs and traditions of the specific countries in which they operate.
"Travel will not look the same as we remember it but it is becoming possible again, albeit all of us being more mindful of our own safety," he added.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), cautioned that “at both the local and the global level, the crisis we have faced up to together has shown the importance of making the right decisions at the right time”.
According to Pololikashvili, the recently-released UNWTO Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism serve as a “comprehensive set of measures” to open tourism up again “in a safe, seamless and responsible manner”.
South African hotels are opened for business travel and serving as quarantine hotels.