Transformation of the Tourism Sector

The Portfolio Committee on Tourism invites interested people and relevant stakeholders to submit written comments on the ways and strategies to expedite transformation in the tourism sector in South Africa. The information is intended to engage the government on critical success factors needed to expedite transformation.

Comments must be sent to  [email protected] by no later than 31 July 2020

The 6th Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism has realised that the pace of transformation in the tourism sector in South Africa is too pedestrian. Tourism development is confined to the Johannesburg-Durban-Cape Town Golden Triangle, with pockets of excellence in selected areas in other provinces. This has prompted the committee to adopt an oversight approach that seeks to promote tourism development in the country’s villages, townships and small dorpies (VTSDs). To achieve this, the committee has adopted a working philosophy based on the 3Rs, namely, Rebranding, Repositioning and Renewal of the tourism sector in the South African economy. In pursuing this end, the committee seeks to work with all segments and structures of civil society in an unco-optable, non-antagonistic, cooperative and reciprocative oversight approach.

The latest statistics with regard to the state of transformation, as confirmed by the Baseline Study on the State of Transformation in the Tourism Sector in South Africa, do not inspire confidence. For example, ownership of tourism businesses by black people ranges from the lowest of 25% in the Western Cape, to 56% in Limpopo. Management control ranges from 13% in the Western Cape, to 29% in Limpopo; Skills development ranges from 10% percent in the Eastern Cape, to 42% in KwaZulu-Natal. These figures indicate that more work still needs to be done to transform the tourism sector.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also emboldened the call by the committee for the country to grow domestic tourism as the international markets have proved to be volatile, fluid, and susceptible to global shocks such as diseases, regional conflicts and currency fluctuations. Domestic tourism, therefore, provides opportunities for transformation as we develop and market new and tailor-made domestic experiences and packages.

The committee commits itself to report back annually to the citizens of this country during the tenure of the 6th Parliament, on the progress made on the transformation agenda in South Africa. This will be done through an Annual Parliamentary Tourism Transformation Summit hosted by the committee every September.

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