There is a possibility of more long weekends on the cards next year, after FlySafair drew up a petition to parliament
to move public holidays to help boost the local tourism industry.
Earlier this week, FlySafair suggested changes to South Africa’s Public Holidays Act to shift mid-week holidays to a Monday or a Friday.
The low-cost carrier said the change will bring about a speedier recovery for the travel and tourism industry and contribute to economic growth.
The proposal has been tabled with the Tourism Business Council of South Africa for review. If well received by the body, FlySafair hopes this will begin the process of lobbying the department of tourism to introduce the amendment to parliament.
Elmar Conradie, CEO of FlySafair, said its intention was in no way to diminish the importance of these historical days.
“We would aim to look at how the time off from work can be better used to benefit the tourism industry and encourage South Africans to travel again,” Conradie said.
“This year’s Easter season and the recent Heritage Day weekend were great examples of how a long weekend can rekindle people’s love of travel,” Conradie said.
FlySafair has found that there is a significant increase in bookings when a public holiday falls on either a Monday or Friday.
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“There is a more than 20% increase in average passengers flown over a three-day weekend in comparison to lone public holidays [those that fall mid-week],” Conradie said.
Makhashule Gana, Democratic Alliance shadow MEC for economic development for Gauteng, agreed that the move would boost domestic tourism significantly.
“It could help the tourism sector recover from the effects of Covid and thus save some jobs,” Gana…