Minister welcomes draft input

COMMENT by key players in the tourism industry on a new draft bill on tourism has been welcomed by the Western Cape Minister of Tourism, Leon Markovitz.
Markovitz said the submissions would help to further refine the draft bill to help bring greater focus to the provincial tourism industry by more clearly defining roles and responsibilities. This would be achieved by developing a partnership approach between government and the private sector and by actively facilitating sustainable tourism development.
The new draft bill was published in the Government Gazette for comment earlier this year and members of the public and interested parties had until October 13 to provide input.
The Western Cape Draft Tourism Bill is to repeal the existing Western Cape Tourism Act, 1997 (Act 3 of 1997), and is expected to come into operation on the date of the commencement of the Western Cape Tourism Act 2000 on April 1, 2001.
According to Markovitz, the draft bill takes into consideration the importance of tourism as a contributor towards provincial economic growth "if it is properly planned and managed".
"A critical component of the draft bill is that solutions have been proposed for the problems of duplication and fragmentation of tourism functions within the various spheres of government and the private sector," he added.
In terms of the draft bill, a new agency, Cape Tourism, is proposed to adopt some of the functions which are currently the responsibility of the Western Cape Tourism Board (WCTB), including specialising in marketing tourism in the province. This is intended to do away with the WCTB's complex functions which include tourism marketing and tourism development, which - under the terms of the draft bill, would become a government function.
As part of the spirit of co-operative governance, a Ministerial Provincial Tourism Forum is proposed, intended to facilitate and enhance communication and provide a platform for all those involved in tourism to share views and information and co-ordinate activities for their mutual interest.
The bill also proposes the appointment of a Tourism Protector to look after the interests of both tourists and locals, this position being to investigate complaints against accredited tourism service providers and practitioners. Provision would be made for the publication of a code of conduct and the promotion of internationally acceptable standards and quality service.

(Elizabeth Sheridan)