The Perceived Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the South African Tourism Sector

This paper reveals the perceptions and experiences of small and medium enterprise owners from the tourism sector towards the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. Using a semi-structured interview process, ten business owners were interviewed to understand their views on the impact of the pandemic, the challenges they had faced, and the strategies they had implemented to deal with these challenges. The findings illustrated that the pandemic was experienced as devastating and critical. Most business owners experienced significant financial strain and job losses were a frequent consequence. The amount of provided governmental aid was not positively experienced by the majority of the business owners. All the participants were unprepared for the pandemic but quickly shifted into a proactive coping stance. Business strategies and practices have pointedly been altered as the tourism businesses have attempted to stabilise and survive into the ‘new normal’. The participants remain positive about their business’ future success. Financial planning and crisis management training are suggested as tools to enable the sector to enhance its ability to cope with future crises.