This week saw a watershed moment as Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla announced the last remaining Covid-19 restrictions would be dropped.
Phaahla repealed three regulations, including the wearing of masks when in public as well as a regulation on the numbers permitted at a gathering and rules around vaccinations for people entering South Africa.
The announcement has been greeted with jubilation from the tourism industry, which has been one of the hardest hit since lockdown was imposed in South Africa.
Hotel brand Sun International was one of the first to welcome the new regulations.
“The restrictions on gatherings, in particular, have been onerous on the gaming, hospitality, conferencing and eventing industries,” said Sun International Group COO for Hospitality, Graham Wood.
“The relaxation of the regulations will have a positive effect on tourism, and we are hoping for an accelerated recovery in international leisure demand from our global source markets,” he continued.
Cape Town Tourism also added its voice to the rising chorus.
“The lifting of mask-wearing and ending of gathering limitations and checks on all travellers coming into the country is a big win for South African tourism,” added CEO Enver Duminy.
Duminy said since January, the City of Cape Town had seen a continued upward trajectory in local and international passenger movements and hoped that the repeal of restrictions “will, no doubt, further hasten recovery.”
The local tourism industry is experiencing a marked recovery.
A number of airlines have added additional routes to their schedules - all bound for South Africa.
Stats SA recently revealed an 88 percent increase in income across the accommodation sector in March this year compared to last year.
Cheap Flights also noted that many locals are looking to travel their own country and try out new experiences.
“Hiking is now a popular activity among travellers in the country. The reason is that the pandemic locked them in for a long time, and since they are now free to move freely, they chose open spaces,” commented Tshepo Matlou, head of marketing and communications at the online booking platform.