BORDERS REOPENING: TOURISM’S 5% GDP BOOST

MBABANE – South Africa’s decision to open borders is set to boost the ravaged Eswatini tourism sector.

The neighbouring country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday night announced that South Africa is opening its borders to the world from the beginning of next month as the country moved to level one of the lockdown.

This would come as a major boost for Eswatini, as most tourists come through to the country using South Africa’s borders. 

In 2018, contribution of travel and tourism to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was recorded to be at 5.7 per cent.

 Visitor exports are compared with exports of all goods and services. 

Tourism and aviation were some of the biggest casualties of the lockdown, threatening the future of businesses throughout the value chain. 

In South Africa, tourism contributes an estimated 8.6 per cent to the GDP and supports about 1.5 million people.

opened

Ramaphosa said that the country’s borders would be opened from October 1. However, travel may be restricted to and from certain countries that are deemed to be high risk.

A list of the countries will be published and based on the latest scientific data, he said.

Travellers will only be able to use one of the land border posts which remained open during the lockdown or one of the three main airports: King Shaka International Airport in Durban, OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Cape Town International Airport.

Ramaphosa said those entering South Africa would need to provide a negative Covid-19 test result not older than 72 hours. Those who do not will have to remain in mandatory quarantine at their own cost. All travellers will also be screened on arrival and those who display symptoms will be required to go into quarantine.

He said that in preparation for the re-opening of borders, South Africa missions abroad will open for visa applications and all long-term visas will be reinstated.

“The tourism sector is one of our greatest economic drivers. We are ready to open our doors again to the world and invite travellers to enjoy our mountains, our beaches, our vibrant cities and our wildlife game parks in safety and confidence,” Ramaphosa said.

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