Leisure travel -Level 3- summary by Nightsbridge, TBCSA & SATSA

 

As far as we interpret the latest government gazette with the updated changes to Level 3 lockdown, leisure travel is allowed inside your own province (intra-provincial travel).

Business travel, moving children to school, funerals etc are still allowed between provinces (as it was at the beginning of June).

Our opinion on this matter is supported by both the TBCSA and SATSA.

The TBCSA understands that intra-provincial (within your own province) domestic leisure overnight stays (excluding home-sharing) is acceptable, provided the requisite health and safety protocols are instituted by accommodation establishments.

“Until we have written confirmation to the contrary, we are entitled to this interpretation and will operate within the regulations we have received,” confirms TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivenghwa.

Are you allowed to open?

YES — if you are accredited and licensed.

Because there have been no regulatory guidelines from the Department of Tourism as to what ‘accredited and licensed‘ means, we can not provide a ‘rule’ as to who qualifies to open on this basis.

As a property, you will need to decide for yourself if you are accredited and licensed, or not. Bylaws differ between municipalities and areas. Our sense is that it means your local municipality is aware that you are running a business out of your premises, e.g. they’ve adjusted your rates. Or that you are a member of your local tourism organisation (accredited).

You don’t need a certificate, permit or permission letter to open.
You are allowed to host guests who are:
travelling for leisure within their province or
travelling for business or other allowed reasons between provinces.

Things to do now:

• Make sure all of your closeouts are removed and that you are showing availability everywhere. Check availability on your own website booking button and a public site you are linked to like Travelground or Booking.com.
• Use the industry protocols that were put out by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA). We summarised them to make it easy to follow.
• Let your guests know you’re implementing the safety protocols. Join the NightsBridge SafeStays initiative on Links Manager. This will show that you’re implementing cleaning and hygiene precautions.
• Spread the word about the core focus for the sector’s safe reopening —
  — Read Balancing lives and livelihoods the core focus for Tourism Sector’s phased and safe re-opening.
  — Use the hashtag #SouthAfricaisTravelReady

Who is allowed to stay over?

Under the amended level 3 regulations, anyone can travel for leisure within their own province.

Movement of persons between provinces is not allowed, except for –

• Business travel
• Moving to a new residence
• Caring for an immediate family member
• Members of Parliament to perform their duties
• Learners or students commuting to schools / higher learning institutes
• Attendance of funerals
• Transportation of mortal remains
• Obtaining medical treatment
• Returning to place of residence from a quarantine or isolation facility
• Any other movement permitted under regulation 41.
• The government regulations on inter-provincial travel (including the documentation needed in each circumstance) can be downloaded as a PDF here.

If you are not ready to host:

We understand that you may not be ready to host due to certain factors. It might not be financially viable for you to open if you’re expecting low occupancy.

If you don’t want to take bookings, make sure you have close-outs in place.

Further Reading:

Travel regulations say yes to intra-provincial domestic leisure travelre travel

Tourism Update: Intra-provincial leisure travel IS allowed

Tourism’s extraordinary effort to survive COVID-19

Official Government Communication:

43487: Directions on Risk-Adjusted Strategy for Tourism activities, services and products (29/6)

43476: Level 3 Lockdown Amendments (25/6)

Presidental Address (17/6)

43364: Alert Level 3 Travel Regulations (28/5)