In its first meeting for the year, the Portfolio Committee on Tourism pledged to do things differently – on how it tackles its business during the first quarter of this year.
Portfolio Committee Chairperson Mr Don Gumede said it was important that an assessment should be prepared by the committee. This will be about the review of the work that has been done by the Department of Tourism, entities that report to the committee including government departments that have a direct bearing on the functioning of the tourism sector. ‘We have to comment, remark on what we have found over the past two and half years, said Mr Gumede.
The committee said South African Tourism needed to explain itself. Members said SA Tourism should explain to the Committee, if the financial crisis in the Eurozone and looming recession had affected the tourism industry. They would also be required to state how as an entity they planned to address the challenge of not generating acceptable revenue even when tourists continued to visit the country. The committee noted with concern figures that indicated last year’s revenue from tourists had decreased in comparison to 2010.
According to SA Tourism, figures the second quarter of 2011 saw just under 2 million tourist arrivals to South Africa, a decrease of 1.3% (135,232) compared to the same period in 2010. Tourist arrivals decreased by 18.9% (121,551) during the month of June 2011 compared to that of June 2010.
Other industry stakeholders will brief the committee about job opportunities that had been created by the sector. Mr Gumede said the industry was among those that had been earmarked to create jobs.
Meanwhile, the committee called on relevant bodies and municipalities to ensure safety at beaches across the country. This comes after weekend reports of a man that died as a result of a shark attack at Port St John’s. “Such incidences give a bad reflection on the state of our coastline and mars the image of the country,” said Gumede.
For enquiries or interviews with the chairperson, please contact:
Ms Yoliswa Landu
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8203
Cell: 073 738 0182
E-mail: ylandu@parliament.gov.za
Committee to do things differently
