Festive season tourism statistics 'a letdown'

THE tourism industry association, Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa), has expressed disappointment over the sector's performance during the festive season.

- GCWALISILE KHANYILE

Fedhasa national chairperson, Brett Tungay, said their anecdotal statistics for the festive season became very much of a mixed bag across the country, describing it as disappointing.

“The high-end tourism destinations continued to do well, while the mid-level and low-levels saw a drop. The prime spots occupancy rate sat between 80% and 85%, but then, as soon as you went out of the prime tourism spots, most people reported 70% to 75%. That was the general trend for this festive season,” Tungay said.

He added that areas like Mossel Bay and the Waterfront in Cape Town did very well; however other tourism destinations did not have good business.

He highlighted that even those destinations that appear to have done well reported results similar to the previous festive season.