AS THE new year
commences and the
South African tourism
industry prepares to take stock
of the past holiday season,
I note with concern that
domestic tourism figures have
declined due to affordability
and limited geographic spread
over the last few years.
The solution to this is
improved product development
and marketing, investment
in rural infrastructure but,
more importantly, a policy
shift to get South Africans
experiencing their country by
making travel affordable and
accessible as this will grow the
local economy and create jobs.
There must be a strategy
to increase domestic tourism
revenue, to increase domestic
tourism volumes, to enhance
measures and efforts aimed
at addressing seasonality
and to promote an equitable
geographic spread, but also to
entrench a culture of tourism
among all South Africans.
To address some of
these issues, I will write
to the Portfolio Committee
on Tourism asking for an
audit of the current tourism
products and services to
ascertain adequate supply
for the various segments
of the domestic market
and also to facilitate the
development of effective
maintenance plans for existing
tourism infrastructure under
government’s and municipal
administration.
Currently, there are a
number of examples of poorly
developed and maintained
government-funded tourist
attractions that remain sorely
underused resources.
It is clear that new and
innovative measures need
to be taken to stimulate
domestic tourism to ensure
that real growth in this sector
is achieved, which in turn will
help to create jobs, stimulate
small business development
and help to create a more
inclusive society with a greater
geographical spread.
The Department of Tourism’s
Domestic Tourism Growth
Strategy 2012-2020 states
that the biggest inhibiting
factor to domestic tourism is
the perception that travel is
not affordable.
At the same time,
affordable accommodation
needs to be considered and
the government needs to
consider investing resources
into the development of
underutilised resorts for the
specific purpose of marketing
affordable accommodation,
which will encourage less
affluent South Africans to
travel and explore this country.
The National Tourism Sector
Strategy makes specific
reference to this when it
stated the need to identify all
existing municipal and other
government-owned resorts
that are not optimally utilised,
for possible development into
resorts that will target new
domestic markets.
In response to my question
submitted to the Department
of Tourism on this topic, I was
informed that an audit had
been conducted that identified
approximately 700 resorts
that are not being optimally
utilised. The Tourism Ministry
stated that the Department’s
Social Responsibility Initiative
(SRI) was currently assisting
in refurbishing some of these
facilities and would consider
further assistance upon
application from the relevant
municipality or government
department, funds permitting.
The fact of the matter
is that the Department’s
SRI has been a failure in
several cases and it is highly
unlikely that much will be
done to refurbish these 700
underutilised resorts. The fact
that the Department will only
consider further assistance
upon application and funds
permitting, highlights their
lacklustre approach to
turning around underutilised
municipal and governmentowned
resorts, which, if sorted
out, could go a long way to
boosting domestic tourism
figures.
Domestic tourism can be
used as an effective tool
to break down barriers in
South Africa and open up this
country to be explored by a
large portion of the population
who are currently excluded
from enjoying this experience.
James Vos, MP
DA Member of Parliament
Shadow Minister of Tourism.
