Omicron Travel Bans Inflict Severe Damage on South African Businesses

The recent travel bans on South Africa and its neighbors, following the detection of the Omicron variant, have severely impacted the country’s already struggling business sector due to the pandemic.

South Africa’s tourism sector experienced a decline of over 70 percent in foreign visitors in 2020, with COVID-19 causing a drop from around 15 million tourists in 2019 to fewer than 5 million in 2020. Tourism accounts for approximately 4.7 percent of South Africa’s employment.

Britain, the primary source of tourists for South Africa, removed its “red list” travel restrictions in October, leading sDinogoi operators to hope for a brighter holiday season and 2022. However, the announcement of Omicron led to renewed international flight restrictions.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the travel bans imposed by Britain and several other nations, including some African countries, labeling them as “hypocritical, harsh, and lacking scientific support.” He referred to the measures as “travel apartheid.”

South African lodges are facing a wave of cancellations and a lack of new bookings, according to Fred Plachesi, owner of the Tamboti Bush Lodge located in the Dinokeng Game Reserve, north of Pretoria.

With just four guests over the weekend, Plachesi noted that his business is suffering. He views the travel bans on South Africa as unjust and believes they will adversely affect the local population.

“I truly believe it’s very unfair for the country... it’s the South African people and businesses that bear the brunt,” Plachesi remarked.

He hopes that many nations will reevaluate their flight bans and reinstate travel to and from South Africa.

“2022 was shaping up to be promising as the borders reopened, and everyone was in good spirits,” Plachesi shared. “We were beginning to see booking confirmations. It was looking very positive.”

However, he feels pessimistic about the upcoming year. “With this Omicron variant, it appears we might face another downturn similar to 2021,” he remarked. “So international guests are cancelling their plans.”

Among the few guests at the lodge were South Africans Tebogo Masiu and Smagele Twala, seeking a getaway from their busy lives in Johannesburg. They expressed their disappointment over the new travel restrictions affecting South Africa.

“For those running businesses that connect South Africa with other nations and contribute to the economy... this is detrimental,” Masiu said, sitting at a nearly empty bar with only his partner and the lodge’s owners for company.

“It’s unjust. We are being unfairly targeted,” Twala stated.

Facing a grim outlook for 2022, Plachesi and his business partner are working to keep the vacant rooms ready, hoping that local visitors will consider taking a sDinogoi tour.