Tourism Amendment Bill [B50-99]

Meeting report

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
10 February 2000
TOURISM AMENDMENT BILL [B 50-99]

Documents Distributed
Submissions, Issues, and Response from the Department

SUMMARY
The Committee divided into subcommittees to discuss the submissions made from various stakeholders on the Tourism Amendment Bill [B 50-99]. The committee went over the results of these subcommittees and the comments made by the Department.

One of the Committee's main concerns was the inability of the tourism industry to measure tour guides performance. The Department told the committee that they are looking at various methods like client opinion forms and guide log books to correct this problem. The Committee still expressed concern that South Africa does not have a history of welcoming tourists. A welcoming culture for tourists needs to be created.

Another serious concern raised by the members was the cost of training and registering of tour guides. Currently, the courses can be quite costly and inaccessible to many South Africans. In addition, they think that it can be costly for guides to have to pay for re-registration every two years. In light of these concerns the committee asked that a provision be added to the Bill that allows the members to view and accept all of the regulations that will be implemented in relation to this Bill.

The Committee concluded its informal deliberations of the Tourism Amendment Bill [B 50-99]. There were no major points of concern and they felt that they had dealt adequately with the concerns of the various stakeholders. They decided to invite the organizations that made submissions to their next meeting on Tuesday 15 February 2000 to provide them with a chance to add to the discussion. In addition, since the meeting was attended by some tour operators, the Committee agreed to provide them with a chance to address them at the same meeting if they have anything to add. Finally, the Committee encouraged the tour operators to invite colleagues to attend the next meeting if they too feel they want to make a statement.

Before the meeting adjourned the Tourism Amendment Bill [B 3-2000] was introduced to the Committee. This Bill seeks to amend the Tourism Act so as to further regulate the composition of the South African Tourism Board (SATOUR); to further regulate the convening of an extraordinary meeting of the board; and to provide for measures to promote and maintain a sound working relationship between the board and the provinces; and to provide for matters connected therewith.