Border vaccine rules cripple tourism – HATAB
Mbongeni Mguni | Tuesday March 8, 2022 06:00
According to HATAB chief executive officer (CEO), Lily Rakorong, a recent survey amongst the organisation’s members found that between February 14 when the new rules were introduced, and February 22, bookings worth P109 million were cancelled.
The majority of these bookings were made in 2020 when the local tourism industry pleaded with tourists to “postpone and not cancel” their planned trips to Botswana, after the onset of the pandemic.
“You can no longer say ‘postpone, don’t cancel’ because all of us in the region were closed at that time and people now have options,” Rakorong told The Monitor. “Botswana is not necessarily a unique destination when it comes to the product, especially with wildlife which can be found in our neighbours as well. The one that opens up first will get the most. “Competition is fierce and even Dubai is trying to establish its own safari industry.”
HATAB, a 38-year-old industry body, has members across the country’s hospitality and tourism sectors, representing 50% of all licensed operators. The industry was rocked by the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 as borders closed while local movement was restricted by lockdowns.
Even when the borders were reopened in December 2020, tourists from traditional markets could not readily travel to the country as their insurance providers were wary of the State of Emergency (SoE).
The SoE ended in September 2021, but the Omicron variant arrived two months later to further depress the industry. The hospitality and tourism sector was hoping 2022 would mark the beginning of its recovery from a downturn that has seen the closure of some operations, workers being paid half salaries and other measures.
The new border entry rules do not specifically make vaccines mandatory, as arrivals can still enter if they pay for a PCR test at the border and isolate while awaiting results. However, the rules are worded towards strongly discouraging unvaccinated arrivals.
The definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ has also come under the spotlight as local authorities reportedly give vaccines a 180-day validity period, while Europe gives the same vaccines a 270-day validity period. After that validity period, travellers are considered partially vaccinated and therefore requiring boosters.
The issue means tourists may believe they are fully vaccinated, but on arrival in Botswana, discover that according to local regulations, they are partially vaccinated and therefore will require a booster shot.
While vaccines have been readily available to citizens of the United States and Europe where the majority of Botswana’s tourists come from, many potential travellers are reportedly put off by the requirement to receive booster shots at the country’s borders.
“With travellers from Europe and the US, those that are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, it’s not about lack of vaccines,” Rakorong said. “That’s not the issue for them and hence they don’t understand why they should be forced to vaccinate when they get here. “It’s a decision that maybe is about their health or something else. “We agree that the fully vaccinated should be allowed in without a PCR but those unvaccinated or partially vaccinated should be allowed to present a PCR which was the case before and which was working well.”
Rakorong revealed that the organisation had expressed its concerns to the Ministry of Health and Wellness but was yet to receive substantive feedback.
“We are not saying this to the detriment of our guests and in fact, the industry was amongst the first to develop its own health protocols and submit to government for consideration. “We will continue to do everything to protect our workers, guests and communities. “However, with the current rules, the recovery in tourism is going to be very long and painful,” said the CEO.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the country’s travel and tourism industry employed about 54,000 people directly and indirectly in 2020, down from 71,000 in 2019. Visitors spent P1.4 billion in the industry in 2020, down from P6 billion in 2019.