The Effect of Covid-19 on the Business of Tourism Entrepreneurs in South Africa

The effect of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak on the tourism sector has caused significant disruption to the global economy. The number of international tourist arrivals deteriorated by 80% between March and December 2020. The tourism industry is the main focal source of employment, foreign exchange earnings and government revenue for many developed and developing countries. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted tourism entrepreneurship causing a plunge in tourism income and global gross domestic product (GDP). South Africa was one of the most infected countries in the world. This caused countries such as Japan, United Kingdom, European Union, the United States of America, France, Germany, Canada and Netherlands to halt flights to South Africa. This paper aimed to discuss the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on tourism entrepreneurs globally. This was imperative to assess as tourism is one of the major industries that has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis and government regulations, and the tourism sector accounts for 80% of the global economy. A secondary data method was used to analyse the effect of the Covid-19 crisis on the tourism industry. This limited the researcher due to the unavailability of essential data for further statistical analysis. The main findings of the study suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic instigated a significant decline in the global GDP, transportation industry and hospitality industry. These findings will further assist when facing challenges in the tourism sector and providing strategies for future recommendations.