Pretoria - The Tshwane Tourism Association is bringing back its popular tourism exhibition to the CSIR for the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak.
The last exhibition was held in January of 2020, just two months before the country went into national lockdown. For the following two years, the tourism sector would be among the hardest hit.
Restaurants were closed, while the sector’s biggest source of income, sale of alcohol, was banned.
Travel destinations were left dry and many people in hospitality and the value-chain industry lost their jobs. Many businesses put rotational shifts into place, but the damage was already done.
Industry players complained that they felt poorly consulted and engaged by the government before implementing conditions that affected the wellness of their businesses.
The sector leaders said the value chain of tourism reached new lows, and many people and homes were negatively affected.
However, the pain of the pandemic period will be forgotten when the event gets under way today (Tuesday).
The showcase, held in January every year before the pandemic, will give tourism buyers the chance to see what Tshwane has to offer. It includes a variety of exciting attractions and accommodation options within the city.
The association said the platform assisted stakeholders to gain networking opportunities, learn and experience that collaboration is key, stay in the loop, showcase their business and support local businesses.
The last event in 2020 had more than 110 table-top exhibitions and about 450 registrations.
Pretoria News