Despite the level 3 regulations not permitting leisure travel, hard-hit tourism businesses want the government to reconsider.
Tourism organisations from across South Africa are trying to get their voice heard in hopes that President Cyril Ramaphosa revises the policies around leisure travel.
Safari operator Hylton Langley organised a peaceful protest in Nelspruit on Friday hoping that others around the country will follow suit.
"If government officials had had 100 percent of their salaries taken away from them the way we have, they would understand how deeply this crisis has affected us. I don’t know where they think we are going to get the money to pay our staff, ” Langley said in a press release sent out over the weekend.
The protest attracted 60 tourism vehicles with people baring posters. He was unsure how the government allowed taxis to operate at full capacity while leisure remains closed. “Fourteen people in a taxi is allowed, while 0 people in a safari vehicle?" he asked.
"As one of the first and hardest hits sectors, and certainly the last earmarked for reopening, the tourism sector has been forgotten," he said.
Meanwhile, numerous petitions have been started and shared on Twitter. One titled " Tourism Recovery South Africa" has garnered over 2800 signatures. The aim is to get 5000 signatures.
The petition was started by Ron Mackenzie.
He posted: "Many families livelihoods are at stake and need support, right now. The government has neglected to inform or adequately explain to our industry, as to why we are banned from earning a living (whilst other industries can resume trade, even though presenting people with a greater risk, of contracting the virus)." (sic)
The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) held an urgent meeting last Monday to discuss leisure travel to consider its options to stop the daily R748-million loss of tourism expenditure and job losses caused by the lockdown and Covid-19 pandemic.
"As a result, we have no choice but to weigh our options on the relief that will protect and save businesses within the sector as well as the value-chain of tourism and hospitality, otherwise the industry is facing permanent closure."
CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa said the organisation presented a comprehensive tourism recovery plan to Ramaphosa, which was backed by health protocols developed by the industry to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
The plan is based on a phased approach starting with domestic travel and then the opening of international inbound travel by at least September 2020 to take advantage of the inbound summer high season, which runs from September to April and represents 60 percent of South Africa’s international tourism annual revenue.
TBCSA will host an industry feedback session on Monday afternoon (July 20).