SA tourism on the ropes with little help from government

When the dark clouds lift and our skies reopen, how welcoming will SA be to international guests? Will the world’s airlines be invited back to our cities? Will our African brothers be encouraged to stay a night before departing on international trips? Will we welcome the families of the world to share our sunshine?

While the obvious answer would be “of course”, our political reality is somewhat different. Red tape, political egos and downright blundering have left SA tourism way below its potential as a force for economic good. Though development economists of all stripes continue to stress how tourism can be used as a source of employment, policy continues to hinder the laying of the proverbial red carpet...