Democratic Alliance press release by
Deidré Baartman, MPP
DA Western Cape spokesperson Finance, Economic Development, and Tourism
29 November 2021
Release: Immediate
Despite the challenging circumstances of 2020, the DA in the Western Cape can reveal through a parliamentary reply that R9.5 billion worth of cargo was exported through the Cape Town International Airport. This is thanks to the efforts of the Cape Town Air Access Programme, supported by the Western Cape Government. The programme also secured seven airline passenger services recommitment to fly to Cape Town International Airport with six airlines agreeing to re-establish routes for the summer travel season in the Western Cape. These airlines include Air France, British Airways, United Airlines, Lufthansa Airlines, Etihad Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
However, recent travel bans from at least 15 countries put at risk the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sector, which is one of the largest industries in the Western Cape. Whilst we welcome the President’s commitment to engage counterparts abroad in an effort to remove the bans, there remains a strong need for provision of an urgent bailout for the sector.
MPP Deidré Baartman says: “The peak summer travel season in the Western Cape was critical in clawing back the 75 000 jobs lost in the sector since the start of the pandemic, and efforts by the Western Cape Government had set up the industry to take advantage of this time. The Cape Town Air Access project focused on recovery of both passenger flights and increasing the use of air cargo for exporting Western Cape products. In light of passenger flights being ground for half of 2020, through the project, R8.44 billion worth of cargo was exported through the Cape Town International Airport. This financial year, the first quarter saw a 113% increase in cargo exports amounting to R1.14 billion compared to last year.
With travel bans in place from the European Union, the UK and the United States, the Western Cape’s biggest markets have been cut off. In 2019, 1.46 million international tourist arrived in the Western Cape with nearly 800 000 visitors from North America and Europe which helped to inject R18.6 billion into the regional economy.
I previously called for a comprehensive tourism relief package which would have meant the difference between businesses keeping their doors open and the loss of thousands of jobs in the sector. The Western Cape Government has done all it can to support businesses, protect jobs, and bring international visitor back to the province. We now need National Government to join us and bring relief to a sector which has been unable to fully operate in 19 months.
The World Health Organisation have themselves called for borders to remain open and with the variant already detected in other regions, singling out southern Africa for travel restriction places the livelihoods of thousands on the line and undoes the hard work of the industry and the Western Cape Government to recovery from the effects of the pandemic.”
Media Enquiries:
Deidré Baartman, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Finance, Economic Opportunities, and Tourism
083 302 4132
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