Mayor Plato welcomes move to Alert Level 1 as Cape Town is ready to welcome international visitors

17 September 2020

The move to Alert Level 1 of the national lockdown will bring much needed relief to many of our residents who have been limited from returning to work and operating their businesses as effectively as they would like.

The opening of our borders to international travel has come just in time to allow our travel and tourism industry to prepare for the coming tourism peak season. With world class restaurants, five-star hotels, warm and friendly B&B and guesthouse owners, knowledgeable tour operators, the best shopping experiences on the continent and a list of tourist attractions and adventures that will take weeks to get through, Cape Town will surely be on the top of many travellers’ lists again.

The Waterfront was recently awarded the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels stamp, the first in South Africa, followed shortly thereafter by Cape Town Tourism receiving the same award. The WTTC produced safe travel protocols during the global pandemic for use by the travel and tourism sector. The protocols highlight best practice when it comes to COVID-19 and aims to help rebuild confidence in destinations around the world. I want to thank Cape Town Tourism and the many City staff who worked non-stop during the lockdown to make sure our city is ready to welcome visitors once again.

While we get our economy going full steam ahead let us continue to take the necessary precautions and stay safe, to continue limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

Issued by Greg Wagner, Spokesperson to the Executive Mayor, 17 September 2020