With President Cyril Ramaphosa expected to deliver his State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2022 tomorrow evening (February 10), Tourism Update called on readers to highlight what they would like to see him addressing.

Do away with costly PCR tests

Many highlighted the need to do away with PCR tests, with Tourism Update reader, Greg White, noting: “Something that would boost tourism would be to do away with the need for PCR tests for fully vaccinated travellers entering SA. It is out of step with practice elsewhere, and the costs are definitely discouraging tourists.”

Strategic plan

Restaurateur, Marvin Pillay (based in Graskop, Mpumalanga) – who had to close three of his four restaurants – said he wanted Ramaphosa to outline a strategic plan for getting the tourism and hospitality sector back on its feet and commit to no more lockdowns and restrictions.

More tourism relief packages

A reader who wished to remain anonymous told Tourism Update that more tourism relief funding was needed and that these packages should be freely and fairly available to all.

Easier access

Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities at the City of Cape Town, James Vos, said he would like to see the implementation of eVisas as well as the amendment to visa regulations to allow for remote working visas.

He said he would also like to see aviation taxes cut to make it more affordable to fly, and for infrastructure at ports to be upgraded.

Economic reform

To pave the way for economic reform, CEO of Business Unity South Africa, Cas Coovadia, highlighted the following key points:

• A proclamation that there is an urgent need for structural economic reforms which involves a message that SA is open for investment. This requires policy certainty and interventions to improve the ease of doing business.
• An announcement that the President will ensure his government operates in a cohesive manner and that there will not be mixed messages from different departments.
• A clear message that law and order in our country is seriously compromised and this will not be tolerated any longer. We need tangible progress on bringing those responsible for the July insurrection, as well as State Capture, to book. Investors require confidence that the government has the capacity and will prosecute and uphold law and order.
• An announcement that the President will release clear, firmly structured processes for each deliverable, clear responsibilities for members of the Cabinet, and timelines to achieve precise implementation milestones to focus on meeting the above goals.
• An action plan to deal with the SOE crisis must include decisions on which SOEs are of strategic importance, the private sector’s role, as well as applicable governance and skills challenges.
• A clear implementation strategy on how the government plans to address the current energy crisis in the country.