COVID-19 and the Tourism Industry – Latest Update

1.   Dr Anna Spenceley’s blogpost titled COVID-19 and sustainable tourism is a must-read.

She writes: “There are a number of interesting studies and articles and think-pieces that have been released during this time. Some of these share information on (the) impacts of our dramatically changed travel patterns on industry and destinations. Some include suggestions of proactive approaches, and some provide market insights.

The resources listed on her blog fall under the following headlines and Dr Spenceley will update the links and articles over the coming weeks.

• Ideas to help resilience and recovery
• Market research and intelligence
• Impacts on tourism and destinations
• Virtual tours and ideas to keep us inspired

2.   Resilient Destinations is a wonderful website featuring stories of sustainable tourism initiatives taking place in response to the coronavirus crisis. It is a great place to share initiatives and solutions that are working, no matter how big or small. This site is being co-created voluntarily by people who work in the travel industry from all across the world.

3.   LT & C (Linking Tourism & Conservation) has also produced a list of great resources (mentioning both Dr Spenceley and Resilient Destinations), including additional sources of great material. Read their blog titled Making the case for a sustainable tourism industry – Helpful resources for tourism stakeholders during this time of crisis.

4.   Southern & East African Tourism Update: this platform includes general travel news for the inbound tour-operator industry. There are also excellent articles on sustainable tourism, and what safari operators, lodges and NGOs are doing to deal with the challenges facing the travel industry. Definitely worth subscribing to. See their latest article on what Isibindi Africa is doing to focus on community and conservation.

5.   Game Rangers International in Zambia has developed a strategic plan to deal with the effects of Covid-19 on operations. The plan is called “Mission Zero.” The goal is to maximise safety for all staff and anyone else the team comes into contact with, and to minimise disruptions of daily operations as much as possible, in line with government guidelines for best practice. Visit their website for more information.

6.   So many NGOs are requiring assistance, especially when it comes to food parcels and donations for communities in and around our national parks. Hlokomela (Hoedspruit Training Trust) is a small, not-for-profit, HIV/Aids healthcare organisation in the Mopani District of Limpopo, South Africa, that has mobilised to help fight the spread of the coronavirus in the Greater Kruger to Canyons Biosphere area. This area is home to many rural communities already fighting a wide range of immune deficiencies, like HIV, TB and diabetes.

If you can donate, please do - Hlokomela Project | GivenGain