CAPE TOWN — Graced with rolling vineyards, bountiful big game, the iconic Table Mountain, endless sandy beaches and vast cultural riches, South Africa would have expected to cash in on a post-virus travel boom.
But a week of violent rioting and looting risks deterring foreign visitors and hammering hopes of recovery, the industry says, compounding losses caused by the country’s mounting coronavirus toll.
Tracey Hellerle of the Umzolozolo lodge near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal province, which was the epicenter of the disorder, said every visitor booked to stay during the week of the riots had cancelled.
Before Covid-19, visitors from across the world — and during t…
Keep on reading: South Africa tourism on edge with double impact of virus, riots