JOHANNESBURG, June 15 — A travel consultant, Mr Louis Kanayo Ashinze, has warned that the planned June 30 anti-foreigner march in South Africa could further damage the country’s struggling tourism and travel industry.
Ashinze gave the warning in an interview with the hotnewsroundup.com on Monday in Johannesburg.
Some groups in South Africa have announced plans to stage a protest on June 30 to demand the removal of foreigners from the country.
According to Ashinze, the planned protest, if allowed to take place, could worsen the challenges already facing the country’s tourism sector.
“At the moment, the travel industry in South Africa is on the brink of collapse. Airline ticket sales have dropped significantly, while many flights are returning with low passenger loads,” he said.
He said that growing hostility towards foreigners had created fear among many foreign nationals living in the country.
“Even foreigners with valid documents are afraid to travel because many of them have families here and are uncertain about their safety and ability to return,” he said.
The travel consultant said the uncertainty had negatively affected hotels, tour operators and other tourism-related businesses.
“Hotels are recording low patronage, while many tour guides are currently without jobs. The tourism industry has been severely affected,” he said.
Ashinze further alleged that some foreign governments had evacuated their citizens from South Africa, adding that the development had also impacted the transportation and hospitality sectors.
According to him, travel advisories reportedly issued by some countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, have contributed to the decline in visitor arrivals.
“If the planned protest goes ahead, the tourism industry could suffer even greater losses. The impact may be worse than what was experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown period and recovery could take more than a decade,” he said.
Ashinze also expressed concern that continued attacks and harassment of foreigners could discourage foreign investment in the country.
He said that some Pakistani and Bangladeshi business owners were considering relocating from South Africa due to alleged harassment and incidents of looting.
The consultant urged the South African government to deploy security agencies to prevent any breakdown of law and order and protect the country’s economy.
He stressed the need for measures that would promote peaceful coexistence among residents and restore investor confidence in the country.
