Discussion

The tourism industry of any country contributes greatly to its overall economy. This evidently lays emphasis on the fact that the tourism and hospitality industry of different countries contributed heavily to their overall economic growth. In light of the recent coronavirus pandemic, that has taken over the world, the tourism industry all around the globe has suffered greatly (Fotiadis et al, 2021). This primarily brings to light the fact that The Corona Virus Pandemic has affected the tourism industry which has resulted several hotels and restaurants to shut down for good in such trying times. The following paper essentially aims to present a news article from CNN that discusses how the pandemic has affected the tourism industry in South Africa. In addition to this, the following paper will also discuss the marketing issues within the running of the business as mentioned in the article. Finally, the paper will also present a few recommendations that these businesses can implement in order to function lucratively post the pandemic.

The article presents an account of how one of the top restaurants in Cape Town faces the possibility of closing its doors since the pandemic. The article describes how the tourism industry in South Africa has been suffering due to the pandemic like any other country. The article discusses how Mbaka Siyaka’s restaurant Mzansi has received just one reservation in the year 2021. This is a prime example of what the pandemic has done to the tourism industry all around the world. The article elaborates on how the owner of the restaurant has had to lay off some of his employees in hopes to remain open (Cahyadi & Newsome, 2021). The article also elaborates upon the fact that the restaurant which was looking to open franchises around the country now faced the hard reality of having to eventually shutdown because of a lack of business. In addition to this, the article also stresses upon the fact that the corona virus pandemic has not only affected the tourism industry but has also put several jobs in jeopardy (Duro et al, 2021). This mainly lays emphasis on the fact that since the restaurant hired several employees who belong to the local community, it was its responsibility to ensure that there was bread on the table for these employees. This means that the shutting of the restaurant would not only make the owner Mr. Siyaka incur losses but will also affect the lives of his employees from the local community. The article primarily discusses the harsh reality that the pandemic has set for the tourism industry and its several businesses (Doyinsola Oladipo, 2022). In such trying times the owner of the restaurant along with several other business owners who belong to the industry have been looking for appropriate marketing strategies that would enable them to flourish once again in their industry and finally continue to earn a living.

The concept of marketing mainly refers to the 7 Ps of marketing. This essentially suggests that the article, through its coverage of the restaurant in South Africa, sheds light on the marketing concepts that are already implemented by these businesses (Altay et al, 2021). For instance, in regards to the restaurant, the product evidently lays reference to the service that the restaurant provides which is to cater to the demands of the customers. In regards to price, since the business is one of the top restaurants in Cape Town, it can be said that the prices are heavily agreed upon by the customers before the pandemic (Sigala, 2020). In regards to promotion, the business has been known to promote itself through its heritage. This lays reference to the fact that the restaurant is one of the most authentic restaurants in Cape Town that serves South African delicacies along with pure African music. This also aligns perfectly with the place mentioned within the article which suggests that the restaurant is authentically South African and hence presents its customers with an enriching insight into the African culture (Abbas et al, 2021). In regards to people, it can be said that before the pandemic, the restaurant was known to serve customers who came from all around the world. In terms of process, it is evident that the restaurant is used to serving its customers food directly on its premises. In terms of physical evidence, the restaurant has been on the radar for tourists all around the world not only because of its renowned name in Cape Town but also because of the unique service that it provides its customers.

Marketing Concepts

The article clearly presents the problem that the restaurant along with several other businesses within the tourism industry face. This evidently lays emphasis on the fact that the restaurant faces the possibility of shutting its doors due to the pandemic. This also brings to light the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has affected the tourism and hospitality industry all around the world (Rogerson et al, 2020). Due to the travel restrictions put in please by several countries around the world, international tourists have had no opportunity to travel in order to stop the virus from spreading. This has affected the hospitality and tourism industry poorly. This elaborates the idea that not only have restaurants and hotels faced a lack of customers but have also had to face problems in trying to make ends meet (Binggeli et al, 2020).

In regards to opportunities, in such trying times, the South African government has taking the responsibility of supporting its tourism industry. This means that the government has chosen to allow a stipend amount for businesses within the industry so that they can find their footing. In addition to this, the government has come up with a plan that enables the tourism industry of the country to focus more on domestic customers rather than international ones. In accordance to the government, they believe that the truest form of success within an industry can be shown when they can keep up with the changing times of the market. This means that since the industry cannot cater to any international tourists, they must focus on the domestic ones. This means that the businesses can still flourish once they shift their focus to the domestic clients that they might receive after the vaccination has been made available for all residents of the country.

It is evident that the article clearly states how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the tourism industry of South Africa. The article discusses how one of the top restaurants in Cape Town has had to face the problem of shutting down business due to a lack of customers. However, it is also imperative to note that the information relayed in the article also suggests that the tourism industry of the country has now been provided with an opportunity that enables them to focus on their domestic clients (Do & Vu, 2020). The article clearly states how the government of the country has allowed them a certain amount to get them started so that businesses within the industry can get their affairs into order before they bring about a change in their entire way of functioning and focus on a new segment of the market. In order to achieve this, a few marketing strategies that the restaurant can implement include understanding the demands of its new clientele. This means that since the restaurant will now focus only on its domestic clients until the travel bans are lifted, they can change their usual way of functioning and customize their service to solely please their domestic customers. This means that the business which was renowned to serve authentic South African food with music can now also serve different varieties of food to appease their domestic clients. In addition to this, the restaurant can also strive to promote its menu on its social media platforms. This will not only enable it to engage with its new customer base but will also help attract them into coming into the restaurant (de Oliveira Santini et al, 2020). These strategies can also be implemented in other businesses within this industry. This means that other businesses within the tourism industry in South Africa can also choose to market their services and promote them on social media platforms so that they can appeal to their customers. In addition to this, through social media platforms, they can also make their intentions clear in terms of catering to their domestic clientele which will further enrich their relationship with their customer base and enable them to have a flourishing business in the future (Alves et al, 2016).

Conclusion

Thus, in conclusion, it can be said that the corona virus pandemic has not only taken the world by storm but has also affected the tourism industry of several countries all around the globe. The above paper presents a CNN article that sheds light upon how the pandemic has poorly affected the tourism industry in South Africa. The article discusses how a restaurant in Cape Town has had to prepare itself to close down for business despite being one of the top restaurants in the country. The paper also discusses the marketing concepts that the restaurant used to follow before the pandemic. In addition to this, the paper also illuminates the different opportunities that the restaurant faces in light of the pandemic as provided by the government of the country. Finally, the paper also presents certain implications and recommendations that the business can eventually implement so as to flourish under designated industry.  

References

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