Who is to say that social distance will stop us from effectively engaging the community in discussions about solving the great issue of African tourism in times of COVID-19? Staff members from TREES and the School of Tourism have been keeping busy since the onset of the pandemic, trying to put several tourism discussions on the table and leading the way forward for African tourism. From engaged research using online surveys, to engaged outreach via webinars and panel discussions, many answers are already available and they just keep coming!

Here are some 2020 snapshots:

Prof Elmarie Slabbert, Director of TREES, participated in the National Press Club’s engagement with Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane on September 4, 2020. In her discussions with the Minister, she emphasized how in reopening the tourism industry it is critical to responsibly manage risk perceptions, create opportunities for people to participate in tourism, and that we do not miss out on the booking season for international tourists.

Also at a webinar organized by the Botho University in Botswana, Prof Slabbert gave her insight on the present and future of hospitality and tourism education in light of COVID-19. Some of the topics discussed included current challenges, effective online teaching and learning, university partnerships, and opportunities for shaping the landscape of tourism education in Southern Africa. Crucial elements for shaping such a landscape included blended learning and student-centered learning.

Prof Peet van der Merwe sat in a number of news interviews, in which he discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the wildlife tourism industry. Some of the stations that welcomed him include RSG, Radio Pretoria, and SABC News. Prof van der Merwe also spoke wildlife tourism at the NWU Tourism Webinar with Adri Kitshof-Botha of Wildlife Ranching South Africa, and Joe Viljoen from Chazen game reserve.

Last but not least, Dr Tejiri Aweto gave his contribution to discussions on the future of threatened gorillas in Cameroon. In particular, he presented his findings of a study on human-wildlife conflict at Cross River National Park, Nigerian side, to the Great Ape and Gibbon team at Arcus Foundation. The idea behind this contribution was to pinpoint strategies to promote ecotourism development in Nigeria and Cameroon, and to reduce human-wildlife conflict and save the fragile local gorilla population.