Responsible Travel and Tourism a necessity during Strict Lockdown

• Responsible travel call for people to take extra caution and prevent the spread of the virus as they visit local tourist establishments.
• One of the most important things that travelers must do before traveling during the COVID-19 period is to make sure that they plan ahead and prepare for their journey.

Mbabane: During the current global public health crisis, responsible travel and tourism is a necessity especially to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Responsible travel call for people to take extra caution and prevent the spread of the virus as they visit local tourist establishments.

While the tourism industry is recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Government in response to the alarming increase of daily new COVID-19 infections, tightened lockdown regulations.

The new directives came into force on January 20, 2021 and shall be in force for a period not exceeding 30 days.

Amongst other directives, traveling between 8pm and 4am is prohibited. Retailers or food outlets are expected to ensure a 1.5 meter distance between persons and not operate after 6pm. The buying and selling of alcohol has been prohibited within the next 30 days and travelling from Eswatini to other countries will only be allowed for medical attention, schooling purposes and work or business purposes. 

Tourism continues to be one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the outlook remains highly uncertain.

The Head of Marketing at the Eswatini Tourism Authority, Siboniso Madlopha said there is no doubt that this is a super sensitive time to be travelling. “We understand first-hand the fears that some people have. Therefore, we strongly advise tourism establishments and EmaSwati at large to show respect to this virus and the dangers it has and to comply with all the new set of regulations”.

He urged local tourism establishments to strictly adhere to the new COVID-19 Directives and the Eswatini Tourism COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines, conduct self-assessments and continue to guard themselves to ensure both their safety and the safety of EmaSwati. It is important for establishments to conduct self-assessments of all aspects of operation to ensure that all appropriate control measures are in place to minimize risk.

A media statement issued by the Head of Marketing at Eswatini tourism authority, Siboniso Madlopha stated that travelling during this time calls for one to be very much careful and take all necessary precautions to safeguard their health and that of others. Therefore EmaSwati to also practice responsible tourism.

The following are some of the most important and essential responsible tourism examples.

Plan ahead

One of the most important things that travelers must do before traveling during the COVID-19 period is to make sure that they plan ahead and prepare for their journey.

• Check if the business is open and if you need to pre-book.

Protect others and yourself

• Do not travel if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been told to isolate.
• Practice Social Distancing
• Responsible travelling means abiding by the rules and being respectful of others. Therefore, keeping the 1.5 meter distance is important.

Maintain Good Cleanliness and Hygiene

If ever there was a time to maintain a high standard of cleanliness and hygiene, it is now.

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds whenever you can.
• If you catch a look at a bathroom sign then jump in and get your hands washed.
• Carry around a little travel sized bottle of hand sanitizer just in case you do not have access to a bathroom for some time. Always apply it after you have touched anything.
• Wearing a mask is of course essential, but if you are going to cough or sneeze then make sure you have some tissues.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth if you can, especially if your hands are not clean.

Show Respect to Others

• The biggest advice we can give to all of you responsible travelers out there would be to show love, compassion and respect to everyone around you.
• This means spreading love and positivity than ever.
• It means showing compassion for those who have potentially lost jobs or even worse their loved ones.
• It means showing respect to those around us because we have no idea what they are going through.

Madlopha noted that this is the time of us to show compassion and a sense of unity. ‘We will get through this. We have an inherent desire to travel, this is in deeply engrained in us and the virus is not going to kill that of”.  “Together we have to ensure that the ability to travel must survive. We want to see borders, countries, and economies thriving once again. We can all play our part by being mindful and responsible travelers”.