The Portfolio Committee on Tourism will next week on 12 to 13 March hold public hearings on the Tourism Bill.
Tourism is identified as a priority in the economic sector in order to fulfil government’s imperative of creating sustainable jobs and to ensure that inequalities in all areas, particularly in rural villages, are addressed. The proposed legislation will override the Tourism Act of 1993 which fell short of being an over-arching national legislative framework for the management of tourism.
The Bill seeks to provide for the development and promotion of sustainable tourism for the benefit of citizens and visitors, ensure continued existence of the South African Tourism Board to effectively market South Africa as a tourist destination (for local and international travellers), to establish the Tourism Grading Council to implement the national grading system for tourism, and to regulate the tourist guide profession and repeal certain laws.
The proposed legal framework will close gaps in the implementation of the Tourism White Paper (of 1996), which supports the development and promotion of tourism in the country. It spells out the functions of the national government as establishing, facilitating and enabling appropriate legal and fiscal frameworks for the tourism industry and facilitating the sustainable and responsible development of the industry, by formulating appropriate development guidelines and regulatory measures.
So far, the committee has received about 30 submissions from the public.
Details of the public hearings:
Date: 12 to 13 March 2013
Time: 10h00
Venue: Room 514, Marks Building 5th Floor (Parliament Cape Town)
For media enquiries or interviews with the chairperson, please contact:
Yoliswa Landu, Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8203
Cell: 073 738 0182
E-mail: ylandu@parliament.gov.za
