As Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, and to uphold labour law principles and practices, President Ramaphosa has declared Tuesday, December 27 a public holiday.
The announcement has been welcomed by the tourism sector, as the four-day-long Christmas weekend is expected to encourage domestic travel.
Rosemary Anderson, National Chairperson of FEDHASA, said as it was the first festive season in three years when South Africa’s hospitality sector could trade normally, expectations were that hospitality businesses would have enjoyed a bumper event even without the announcement of the extra public holiday.
“That said, there will likely be segments of the domestic tourism market that have yet to finalise their holiday plans. Our members are telling us there’s a lot of last-minute interest and the additional public holiday may just be the nudge they needed to grab the great deals hospitality providers have put in place this December to entice South Africans to travel around their country.
“With the additional consecutive public holiday, consumers now see it is worthwhile travelling to a destination, since they can have a full four days and nights off, without having to use any of their annual leave. Restaurants, pubs and eateries will also benefit from this - since our industry is always busier on public holidays.” She said another plus was that employees working that day will be paid double time - a welcome bit of extra income.
Anderson said there was still some way to go for the industry to recover from the past few years of limited trading, but this festive season would set the tone for 2023, perhaps not in terms of the same numbers travelling, but, hopefully, better yield, as the post-pandemic trend towards splurging continued.
“Travellers are opting for longer stays and higher-end accommodation to make up for what they perceive they missed out on during the pandemic. And the hospitality sector is reaping the benefits thereof,” she said.
Ultimately, the more South Africans travel, the better for the economy. More jobs could be created in the hospitality sector, which could also create jobs in other areas, said Anderson.
