There will always be a demand for South Africa’s tourism attractions post-COVID-19, said Tourism Update readers in their comments.

Readers were responding to the inaugural African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AAVEA) attractions benchmark survey, in which respondents said the attractions industry had fundamentally changed and that pre-COVID visitor numbers would never be seen again.

Tatenda Jenya said: “Assuming COVID-19 is fully controlled, the figures will rise to pre-COVID numbers. It might take time but that will happen. Humans tend to forget. Just think of areas affected by volcanic eruptions. People tended to be cautious for a few years after the disaster but slowly resettle.”

Agreeing with Jenya, The MICE Academy’s Helen Brewer pointed out: “A serious hard look at both the manner in which the attraction is portrayed on-site with consistency and a high memory retention value. Thereafter ongoing catchy marketing should be a part of the 'spit & polish'.”