South Africa to Reopen Borders in Bid to Revitalize Wildlife Tourism Industry

International tourists will once again be able to visit South Africa’s Kruger National Park as the country relaxes COVID travel restrictions.

After suffering a steep decline due to COVID-19, South Africa’s tourism industry welcomed the government’s September 16 decision to reopen the country’s borders. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa would allow international travel starting on October 1 in a bid to revive the country’s battered economy. The tourism industry, which contributes nearly nine percent of the country’s GDP, is at the center of Ramaphosa’s economic recovery plan.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the industry has been devastated by business closures and widespread job losses. South Africa has seen a 75 percent drop in tourism revenue this year, and 1.2 million tourism-related jobs, representing 10 percent of the country’s total employment, have been affected. 

Income from tourist accommodations fell 99 percent during the first month of the lockdown and has yet to recover. 

Other Sub-Saharan countries also recently reopened their borders in hopes of reviving their economies. Kenya, Seychelles, and Rwanda resumed international flights on August 1. Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board Clare Akamanzi commented that the country’s tourism revenues will shrink between 50 and 70 percent in 2020. 

International visitors, the majority of whom are tourists, contribute $61.3 billion dollars to the continent’s GDP each year. 

COVID-19 restrictions have particularly impacted what was once the highly lucrative centerpiece of African tourism, the safari. 

Africa is home to nearly 2,000 Key Biodiversity areas, and wildlife-based tourism generates more than $29 billion annually and employs 3.6 million people. The importance of safari tourism to African economies helps governments justify continuing to protect domestic wildlife habitats. Furthermore, Africa’s wildlife attracts considerable foreign investment, with donor contributions accounting for 32 percent of protected area funding in Africa. According to Nature Ecology & Evolution, foreign donors provide 70 to 90 percent of this funding in some countries. 

However, severe budget crises driven by the post-COVID-19 economic downturn, as well as the continent-wide collapse of wildlife tourism due to travel restrictions, are likely to force policymakers to cut any spending seen as non-essential, including wildlife conservation funding. 

Compounding this further, the continent is likely to experience a decline in donor funding for its conservation efforts over the next few years. Following the previous global financial crisis, conservation endowments declined in value by 40 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to Professor Maximilian Martin from the University of St. Gallen. 

Unfortunately, this is likely to have far-reaching environmental implications for the continent. Stalled conservation efforts may push already strained ecosystems and wildlife populations to their tipping points, resulting in population declines, local extinctions of some species, and intensified ecological degradation. 

Despite the severe economic and environmental damage that COVID-19 has inflicted, some see a silver lining to the current disaster. Jillian Blackbeard, the CEO of a regional safari tourism association, explained that the virus could force African countries to undergo a long-overdue change. She said that the African tourism industry is heavily reliant on white, elderly, North American or European clients, and is hopeful that the region will use this moment to diversify. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, safari travel has been marketed as a luxury product for wealthy international audiences. It can often cost thousands of dollars a night, which is prohibitively expensive for the majority of African residents. 

Even when these destinations are accessible, African residents often aren’t provided the same treatment and attention as international tourists, contributing to a general feeling that Black residents are not welcome in these spaces. 

While it will take at least 10 months for the African tourism sector to recover, this may be an opportunity for the industry to alter this narrative. 

Many countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, and Tanzania, are now offering citizens deep discounts on park fees and safari lodges in hopes of attracting their domestic audiences.