Programme Director
MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in the Northern Cape, Mr John Block
Executive Mayor of Sol Plaatjie Municipality, Ms Egnes Ntlangula
Northern Cape Tourism Authority Chairperson and the Board
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, David Molusi
Guest House Associations
Staff members from the National Department of Tourism
Members of the Media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Tourism is of vital importance to the national economy of South Africa. When we talk of Tourism in the 21st century – we refer to the importance of quality service. This is one critical factor that can give us an edge to position ourselves as the ‘thee’ destination of choice. Customer satisfaction is the leading criterion for determining the quality that is actually delivered to customers through the product/service and by the accompanying servicing.
The State of Tourism in Africa continues to tell the story of how tourism not only drives economic growth and development, but also contributes to economic recovery. More and more tourism is showing its resilience in ordinary and extraordinary times. Tourism 2020 Vision and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predicts that the sector will grow by an average of 4.1% per year for the next two decades, and projections for the year 2020 indicate that tourist arrivals will increase to 1.8 billion.
For us to reach these projections, we need to put the correct mechanisms in place and lead from the front. It is therefore in order to say service professionalism has become an important issue as destinations compete for tourists in a very competitive environment.
This brings me to the subject of the day, the front-line professionals or one will call them - our brand ambassadors. I am saying this because the role of tourist guides is very important as they act as ambassadors for their countries - as well as help to explain the unique culture and heritage of a nation to visitors.
This is the time for us to pay homage to our Tourist Guides. Our theme for this year’s celebration is - Tourist Guiding in the 21st Century. This theme focuses on current issues related to tourist guiding and does not only address the challenges experienced in the sector, but also the opportunities that are available to tourist guides to grow their businesses.
The environment in which a tourist guide operates today has become more complex and requires that guides keep up with developments around them to remain competitive and relevant. As you do this, you must remain authentic and true to you profession.
We believe that technological advancements should be taken up to enhance opportunities. I would also like to see more and more guides taking up the opportunities presented by cooperatives and work with tour operators to enhance market access. Working together between the established and emerging enterprises will be one of the most critical ingredients for the success and transformation of the sector.
As the National Department of Tourism (NDT), we have successfully entered into an agreement with the Culture, Arts, Tourism and Hospitality Sports Sector Education Training Authority (CATHSSETA) which
seeks to prioritise tourist guide training and development throughout South Africa.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CATHSSETA also seeks to address areas of transformation within the tourist guiding sector, as well as the maintenance of standards through quality training and effective skills development programmes aimed at enhancing the skills of existing tourist guides.
We went further to engage the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to educate traffic officials throughout South Africa on how to enforce the legislation pertaining to tourist guides. The NDT will also be working closely with the Department of Transport with the view of ensuring enforcement of tourist guiding issues relating to tour operators and related regulations in the National Land Transport Act.
The NDT acknowledges the importance of communicating with industry bodies that are committed to growing the tourist guiding sector and elevating the profession. As a result, the NDT will be entering into formal agreements with stakeholder bodies that share in the Department’s vision. However, the appeal I will want to put forward is that - there is a need for the tourist guiding sector to organise itself into structured and representative bodies to strengthen its general representivity within the sector and allow for more effective engagement with government and other organised groups in the sector.
We have also undertaken a process to review the current Regulations in Respect of Tourist Guiding. This will include wide consultations with tourist guides and key stakeholders throughout the country with the aim of improving the existing processes and systems to register tourist guides and ensure compliance within the sector.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is very important to have a well maintained centralised database of tourist guides. This can happen if there is common vision and synergy in the manner that we work with Provincial Registrars.
Once we have a well maintained and viable database system, we can then begin to engage the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Justice, and other relevant authorities to ensure that the information received in the provinces is subjected to a vetting process as prescribed in the Tourism Act to ensure that information about the sector is accurate and of a high standard.
I am particularly impressed with the training programmes for our tourist guides taking place in our provinces. The key focus is on skills development for existing tourist guides to make them more marketable and employable within the sector.
I would like to conclude by drawing your attention to the important developments currently underway, I am referring to the Tourism Bill which is in front of Parliament. The changes being proposed which pertains to tourist guides are firm on improving regulation of tourist guarding in the sector. This will contribute to the professionalisation of the sector and playing a part in curbing illegal guiding activities. It is one of our core goals as the NDT to ensure a continuous implementation of the Strategy to Professionalise Tourist Guiding. This is linked to our NTSS which is looking at growing tourism in South Africa and improving service standards within the sector.
I can firmly say that we are working towards a well-oiled machinery that can drive the professionalisation of tourist guiding in South Africa and this will have a positive impact on the tourism sector.
Let us be ambassadors, let us build and maintain a positive brand for South Africa.
I thank you.
