By Simon Nare
Tourism Department Minister Patricia de Lille has lauded SA Tourism for successfully implementing its first quarter targets as outlined in the 2024/25 financial year annual performance plan in the first 100 days of the new administration.
De Lille told reporters that achievements included the success of the Sho’t Left Travel Week which delivered 13,866 deals, up from 10,481 in the previous year, and the website attracting more than 254,000 visitors which was a substantial increase from 94,660 in the previous year.
The entity also exhibited the country in various tourism expos on the continent such as Fikani Tourism Expo in Mozambique, Sanganai Tourism Expo in Zimbabwe and Magical Kenya Tourism Expo.
“These platforms allowed us to engage with buyers and exhibitors through the digital GetConnected business platform, further strengthening South Africa’s presence,” she said.
The minister also highlighted the success of the Market Access Support Programme, a departmental funding programme to support SMMEs to participate in international and domestic trade shows to engage with tourism buyers.
The funding covers their travel costs, thereby removing financial barriers so that they can access new markets and network at national and international shows.
Since April this year the fund has helped more than 160 tourism SMEs in excess of R15 million. They have participated in tourism expos such the local Africa Tourism Indaba, World Travel Market Africa, Meetings Africa, World Travel Market London and ITB in Berlin.
She said 120 SMEs exhibited at Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban, 10 enterprises at the World Youth and Student Travel Conference in Portugal and 15 enterprises at IMEX America, currently underway in Las Vegas, USA.
A further 10 SMEs have already been approved for through the Market Access Support Programme to exhibit at the upcoming WTM London, and another six SMEs will exhibit at the IBTM event, a global MICE conference that will take in Barcelona in November.
De Lille hailed the Tourism Equity Fund which was relaunched in 2023 to provide capital financial support to new and existing businesses as another success story of the department.
Applications for funding were opened on 6 November 2023 and to date nearly R200 million in grant sand loans have been approved.
The fund is budgeted for R1.2 billion and is managed by the Small Enterprises Finance Agency (Sefa) on behalf of the department.
It is tailored to provide a combination of debt finance and grant to facilitate equity acquisition and new project development in the tourism sector by black entrepreneurs.
“Unfortunately, the administration of this fund is painfully slow, and I have engaged the department, Sefa and with the Minister of Small Business Development to impress on them the urgency that needs to be put into these application adjudication process,” she said.
De Lille said another area where the department had made great strides was with visas.
Cabinet established an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) comprising Home Affairs, Tourism, the State Security Agency and Operation Vulindlela in the Presidency to finalise improvements to the visa regime for key source markets, India and China.
She said these markets were prioritised as they have been assessed as having the greatest potential to grow numbers. Following collaboration between various ministers and departments, the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) was adopted.
The minister also highlighted the gazetted White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa, following Cabinet approval on 18 September as one of the achievements of the 100 days in office.
“The White Paper will provide guidance to the next phase of tourism development and ensure that the country as a tourism destination moves towards reaching its full potential,” she said.
SA Tourism falls under the department.
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