Tourists enjoy the beach at Punta Esmeralda beach in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, on March 8, 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP)
Lockdown is the iceberg in the way of the cruise and tourism industry in South Africa, which is sinking under the travel regulations.
There is still no indication when MSC Cruises will continue to operate in South Africa after it announced in February the cancellation of the cruising season for 2020-2021.
READ MORE: Tourism stats: Bad, but there is good news
In December, MSC showcased an onboard inspection of the vessels’ rigorous and robust protocol to the various authorities in South Africa, including the departments of transport, health, home affairs and Port Health, together with the South African Maritime Safety Authority.
Blessing Manale, chief director of communications for the department of tourism, said: “We have always taken a cue from the department of transport as the authority for maritime travel.”
Mansle said they believe decisions by the cruise liners are taken with all in mind.
“As a destination and a country, we want to emphasise that current measures, including the phased vaccination, will ultimately lead to herd immunity and there a gradually return of many subsectors supporting tourism economy,” Manale added.
He said the restrictions on cruise shipping had a significant impact on the tourism industry.
“Although none of the country’s eight seaports were closed, goods coming in from high-risk countries had to be sanitised before being distributed,” he said.
ALSO READ: Stats confirm dire situation in tourism
Manale said this called for changes in terminal operations to scale down transportation services and operations of nonessential cargo, which included the closure of all automotive and multipurpose terminals at the ports of East London, Saldanha, Gqeberha and Maydon Wharf in Durban, with single berth for handling essential break-bulk goods and containers.
Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister for the tourism Manuel de Freitas, said this was another example of how Covid-19 was hitting the economy and a lot of people stood to lose their jobs as cruising has taken a dramatic downturn.
“They are a great source of employment for South Africans who work on these cruises,” De Freitas said.
Disclaimer: MSC Cruises S.A. has not been consulted with on the contents of this article nor approached for comment in respect hereof.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
