Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the economy of South Africa of the UK’s decision to put South Africa on the red list for COVID-19 travel restrictions; and in particular the effect on (1) the tourism industry, and (2) funding for conservation programmes.

The current traffic light system categorises countries based on risk to protect public health and the vaccine rollout from variants of COVID-19.

South Africa is an important partner for the UK, including in the tourism industry, which pre-pandemic saw approximately 400,000 British Nationals travel to South Africa annually. While we hope that travel for tourism purposes will resume soon between the UK and South Africa, public health remains our number one priority.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a significant impact on South Africa's economy, with real GDP growth at -7 per cent in 2020. The situation remains challenging for 2021, although GDP forecasts are more positive. Many sectors of South Africa's economy have been affected, including the tourism industry, with South Africa receiving 72.6 per cent fewer tourists from countries worldwide in 2020.

There is no direct link between UK travel restrictions and funding for conservation work, the UK remains committed to working with South Africa on environmental and conservation issues.