Game parks and hiking allowed, leisure travel still banned
Public game parks and private game farms will be allowed to open from Monday when level 3 of the lockdown comes into effect, but only for self-drive excursions.
No group tours will be allowed and visitors are not allowed in game parks overnight.
Minister of Tourism Mmaloko Kubayi-Ngubane addressed the media on Saturday around the regulations for the tourism industry.
"At level 3, we are going see the accommodation coming to life for business - the only thing that they are not allowed to do, is to accommodate people for leisure," she explained.
"Restaurants will operate for deliveries, collection and drive-through, but they are not allowed to have people who are sitting in.
"Those who have licences are allowed to sell alcohol, but it must be for take-away and comply with the regulations.
Hiking will also be allowed from 1 June, but strictly under the same regulations that apply to exercise in general.
"This means that you will not be allowed to hike in groups,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.
The resumption of hunting is expected be a big boost to the tourism sector.
"The hunting industry contributes an estimated R2 billion of direct spending annually to the tourism sector and it also contributes to employment in rural areas,” said the minister.
"This is an important step towards the recovery of the sector."
The tourism industry has been particularly hard hit by the national lockdown that came in effect in late March, Kubayi-Ngubane said.
"We have continued to see many businesses in the sector fighting for survival and our projections showed that almost 600 000 jobs were at risk if the sector doesn’t come into operation by September.
"Under level 3, we are confident that the sector will start to see the saving of quite a number of jobs and business."
Certain activities will, however, remain prohibited under Level 3.
"Conferences, events, entertainment activities (such as Festivals), and casinos are still not permitted", said the minister.