The Portfolio Committee on Tourism would like to wish all South Africans a “Happy Tourism Month” and encourage citizens to take at least one holiday, even in their home towns, as a start of many to come.
The month of September is celebrated in South Africa as a Tourism and Heritage Month. The 27th of September is celebrated worldwide under the auspices of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation as a Tourism Day.
The theme for the Tourism Day in 2013 is “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future”. The theme is meant to highlight tourism’s role in water access and shines a spotlight on the actions currently being taken by the sector in order to contribute to a more sustainable water future, as well as the challenges ahead. This is done as part of contribution towards mitigating effects of global warming.
The tourism industry is an important sector in South Africa in terms of job creation and economic growth. The growth of international tourism has been impressive in the past years with a 10.2% growth in arrivals in 2012 which saw a total of 9.2 million international tourists in South Africa. This performance was more than double the world average of 3.9 percent.
In South Africa, international tourism creates one job for every 12 international tourists and is responsible for one job in every 11 jobs in the country. The sector has surpassed the mining and automotive sectors in terms of growth. In 2011, tourism's direct contribution to GDP increased to R84 billion, with the combined direct and indirect contribution of nine percent.
The current performance of the sector shows that South Africa is firmly on track to reach its target of being one of the 20 top destinations in the world by 2020. According to the National Development Plan, the performance of tourism in the country aims to increase the industry's contribution towards job creation to 225 000 by 2020. The National Tourism Sector Strategy projects an increase in the industry's contribution to the economy from R189 billion in 2009 to R499 billion by 2020.
Said Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, Mr Don Gumede: “In SA, tourism has always been deemed as an activity that could be undertaken and afforded by a privileged few. However, this is becoming a phenomenon of the past as the country has a number of affordable destinations with tourism packages that can be enjoyed by everyone. The concept of ‘staycation’ whereby South Africans can visit attractions in their hometowns is being encouraged.”
The Minister of Tourism also launched a new domestic campaign called “Nothing’s More Fun than a Sho’t Left” on the 28th August 2013 to urge South Africans to travel within their own country. Mr Gumede encouraged SA’s to respond to the campaign, which offers a great holiday packages. Mr Gumede acknowledged there were still some challenges in the sector.
“Despite a recording remarkable success by the industry, some work still needs to be done in realising transformation and geographical spread to promote inclusive growth. The Committee is working hard to ensure that we (members) address the issue of airlift to promote more arrivals,” said Mr Gumede.
To address this challenge, the committee will be hosting a Tourism Summit on 17 to 18 September as part of the Tourism Month activities planned by Parliament. The Summit will dedicate a session to “unlocking airlift barriers for tourism” on 18 September. Industry players and scholars will discuss issues and craft resolutions that are meant to provide solutions to this challenge.
The committee acknowledges the challenges with regard to rural tourism and supporting infrastructure such as poor road conditions. However, the committee is fostering collaborations with other sector departments to ensure that these issues are addressed, especially around tourism hotspots.
For media enquiries or interviews:
Yoliswa Landu (Ms), Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8203
Cell: 073 738 0182
E-mail: ylandu@parliament.gov.za
