[imagesource: Ingrid Frahm/Getty]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on travel and tourism around the world.

The tourism industry in South Africa has been one of those hit hardest by the pandemic and the resultant travel bans and lockdown regulations.

Hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that service the tourism industry remain closed, and despite pleas to overturn some of these restrictions, it looks like things are set in stone for alert level 3.

There may be some good news on the horizon, though.

Here’s IOL:

Online travel website Tourlane‘s new survey found that South Africa was chosen as the most popular post-Covid-19 destination among travellers.

Tourlane polled a global audience of travellers of all ages and types to determine how people are thinking about travel in the post-pandemic world. Questions ranged from the type of vacation and destination to group size and timeline.

Yep, South Africa is the spot that most people picked as their ideal post-coronavirus travel destination. New Zealand came in second, with Canada in third.

Image: Tourlane

More than a quarter of those who took the survey said that they would be ready to travel as soon as the pandemic was under control, and more than half would like to travel before 2021.

Most people want to see the world with a partner or on their own:

Image: Tourlane

City holidays are out in favour of safaris, beaches, and outdoor adventures – which accounts for why South Africa is in the top spot.

Image: Tourlane

Travel could also be cheaper in 2021, according to Helen Scheepers, Head of Sales at Tourlane.

“For those who want to travel in 2021, it will be a great time to travel, as many tour operators, hotels, and providers are offering competitive pricing and incentives for people ready to go in the new year.”

For locals looking to explore closer to home, the Karoo has been attracting a lot of interest over the last while.

We can only hope that too many jobs in the sector aren’t lost, and irreparable damage caused, before it’s once again safe to welcome visitors to our shores.

[source:iol]