Sports event ban clouds South Africa's tourism revival

Visitors pose for pictures against Table Mountain at a viewing site in Cape Town, South Africa, April 29, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/File Photo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A weak rand and a government U-turn on restrictive visa rules are helping South Africa's tourism sector to stage a strong recovery after a shaky 2015.

But a ban affecting the country's international sports teams over their failure to field more black players risks setting the industry -- an increasingly vital cog in a struggling economy -- back again.