Tourism Sector Responds To Covid-19

We take a tourism safety snapshot of the Western Cape and look at what some businesses are doing to keep the province’s visitors safe.

- Francine Higham

The Western Cape is open for business. We must move forward, but we must do so safely. Businesses in the Western Cape tourism industry elaborate on some of the steps that they have taken to ensure that their customers and staff are protected.

Joep Schoof, general manager of Spier Wine Farm

At the start of the pandemic, we immediately switched to innovation mode and have since been able to reinvent some parts of our business to continue serving customers. The village-style Spier Hotel offers guests plenty of space and fresh air. Here and across the farm, an extensive range of hygiene and social distancing measures have been put in place for guests’ health, safety and peace of mind. These include hand sanitising stations, social distancing prompts, regular cleaning of all surface areas, contactless check-in and disinfecting all rooms after departure.

We’ve critically looked at every part of our business and how to make it safer by implementing many small changes across the property, from the way we serve our food to the filters in the air-conditioning system. We have developed a staff support programme for 246 team members, where they receive training on symptoms and how to prevent the spread of the virus. All staff members have received masks, hand sanitiser and Vitamin C supplements; they also have access to our occupational health nurse should they be feeling unwell. We have complete confidence that we are able to host visitors safely, and our team is ready and eager to once again start doing what they do best!

Bulelani Futshane co-founder of Township Roots and co-owner of Wozani Afro Tours