The South African economy could face massive losses of more than R181 million (€10.4m) every week it’s on the UK’s ‘red list’ for travel.

This is according to a study by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) which reveals the staggering consequences the UK ‘red list’ represents to the South African travel and tourism sector, and the nation’s economy, which have both been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on 2019 UK visitor numbers and spending, the global tourism body’s research shows these restrictions, which are deterring Brits from travelling to South Africa, could represent losses of over R790 million (€45.3m) every month, equating to more than R26 million (€1.5m) every day.

WTTC Senior Vice President, Virginia Messina, said: “The impact the UK’s traffic light system imposes on ‘red list’ countries is not only damaging the travel and tourism sector, but also economies around the world. Our data shows that every day South Africa remains on the UK’s ‘red list’, the country faces losing millions of dollars, effectively delaying the global socio-economic recovery.”

She emphasised that in the UK, more than half of all adults have been fully vaccinated, which significantly reduces the risk of any citizens travelling abroad. Whilst the vaccine roll-out has picked up pace, the figure is considerably lower in South Africa.

Messina highlighted that it was therefore critical for the South African government to continue ramping up the vaccination programme to restart international travel, and enable the economic recovery as a result.

“Furthermore, we are also encouraging governments of ‘red list’ countries to work closely with their UK counterparts to ensure the very latest data is shared, so the country can be moved from the economically damaging red list, to the amber list as soon as possible,” said Messina.

WTTC Economic Impact Report reveals further losses

According to WTTC’s annual Economic Impact Report (EIR), in 2019 South Africa was among the most popular destinations for UK travellers, accounting for 7% of international visitor spending, representing ZAR 9.4 billion (€539m). 

The EIR report also shows the punishing impact the pandemic has had over the country’s employment, with over 470 000 jobs lost due to the lack of international travel.

It further reveals that the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy fell from R363 billion (€20.82bn) in 2019, to just R182 billion (€10.44bn) in 2020.

International visitor spending also plummeted by 66%, from more than R134 billion (€7.68bn) in 2019, to a mere R46 billion (€2.64bn) in 2020.

Editor’s Note

All UK travellers, regardless of their vaccine status, travelling to countries on the ‘red list’, which includes South Africa are required to cover the expensive cost of a 10-day hotel quarantine upon returning to the UK, plus the fees for COVID-19 tests.

The report further shows that the approach taken by other European countries – such as Germany, France and Switzerland, where quarantine is no longer required for fully vaccinated citizens travelling to South Africa –  can still slow the spread of COVID-19 while enabling mobility and providing a boost to the economy.