Hon Chair, hon Minister Van Schalkwyk, hon Deputy Minister Thoko Xasa, the Department of Tourism in all its splendour, hon members, traditional leaders here present, esteemed ladies and gentlemen ...
... lilizelani i-ANC iyayixhasa iVoti yoHlahlo-lwabiwo-mali yama-35, ngoba ... [... ululate as the ANC supports Budget Vote No 35, because ...] [Applause.] ... the New Growth Path, NGP, has prioritised tourism as one of the six economic sectors with the potential to create new jobs. The national tourism blueprint sets both targets for tourism growth, with the target of 225 000 new jobs to be created and the contribution of R499 billion to the gross domestic product, GDP, by 2020, as stated by the Deputy Minister as well. These targets have since been aligned with the National Development Plan, NDP.
Though a fairly new department, the Department of Tourism has made phenomenal development strides both to itself and to the tourism industry as a whole in the following areas: tourism drove double-digit growth in international arrivals; the department made tourism tangible to South Africans; it championed new products; it has real, authentic success stories; it has demonstrated that tourism is everybody's business; tourism creates jobs; the department develops skills and offers other opportunities. Tourism is positioned as mainstream business and is poised to usher in transformation. How does tourism do this?
As one of the key economic drivers to help reduce unemployment and poverty reduction, the tourism sector provides opportunities for investment in infrastructure, skills development, jobs and ownership. Being instrumental in creating the much-needed jobs and developing skills for young South Africans, the tourism sector contributed 8,7% to South Africa's GDP in 2009.
It has been recognised that there is a shortage of small and micro enterprises in the industry to boost the process of job creation. The industry is, however, challenged by the lack of funding for emerging tourism enthusiasts by the development finance institutions and commercial banks, because of reasons varying from between the seasonality of the industry to the inability of the small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs, to provide collateral and enterprises in rural arenas.
Kule ngxaki yokungabikho kovimba wemali, baye bakho noko abathe baqina ifokotho, bazijula ijacu bengena kushishino lokhenketho. Ndakuthi gqaba- gqaba ngabambalwa abathe bangamatshantliziyo. Kukho uDan Pasiya weshishini likaDan's Country Lodge and Events eMthatha, eMpuma Koloni. Kukho umama uMushwana waseKaribu Leisure Resort and Conference Centre eTzaneen. Lo mama ungungqa-phambili, imazi ebotshwa neenkabi kuba ube ngumama wokuqala ukungena kweli shishini linje.
Kubekhona iJozini Tiger Lodge, emaphandleni KwaZulu-Natal; uNovaysi Tourist Transport okwangumama olitshantliziyo othe wenza eli shishini lokhenketho lezothutho. Isekhona eminye imingeni nangona kukho le mitsi ikhankanywe ngentla apha. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[As regards the problem of the lack of funding, there were those who persevered and gave their all and joined the tourism industry. I will say a few words about those who became heroes. There is Dan Pasiya who owns Dan's Country Lodge and Events at Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape. There is Mrs Mushwana from Karibu Leisure Resort and Conference Centre in Tzaneen. This woman is the champion; she is an exceptional woman, because she was the first woman to embark on this type of industry.
There is also the Jozini Tiger Lodge, in the rural area of Kwazulu-Natal, and Novaysi Tourist Transport - she is also a heroine who started this business of tourism transport. There are still obstacles, despite these successes mentioned here.]
Tourism is one of the key economic drivers to help reduce unemployment and poverty. The tourism sector provides opportunities for investment in infrastructure, skills development, jobs and ownership being instrumental in creating the needed jobs and developing skills for young South Africans. Despite these challenges, there are a number of successful emerging tourism enterprises that are doing well, as I have said.
Tour guiding has become a lucrative tourism business. In line with the Tourism Bill that has been tabled, the Department of Tourism will continue to make improvements to the regulatory environment for tourist guides that will greatly assist in professionalising this important link in the tourism value chain. Renewed emphasis was placed on the efforts to professionalise the tour guiding industry. In making tourism tangible, the Department of Tourism helped to strengthen intergovernmental relations, IGR, which responded to the provincial and local needs using the National Tourism Sector Strategy, NTSS, as well as the NGP. Among other support systems, this strategy affords the provinces the niche tourism market development service, excellence, awareness and training.
Kubekho inkqubo eyiTourism Enterprise Partnership, ebizwa uTEP, kunyaka- mali wama-2012-13. UTEP uphume izandla kubunkcuba-buchopho bophuhliso loosomashishini abasakhasaya ngokuhlanganisa uphando-nkqubo nophuhliso lobuchwephesha kunye noqhagamshelwano namaziko eentengiso. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[There was a Tourism Enterprises Partnership programme, called TEP, in the 2012-13 financial year. TEP excelled in the brilliance of developing small enterprises by combining the research programme and skills development and connecting with marketing institutions.]
That is, combining product and skills development with market access.
Le nkquleqhu, ibe neziqhamo ezintle kuba umgangatho woshishino uye wonyuka, ingakumbi kwezokhenketho. Isixa-mali samashishini asakhasayo kwezokhenketho ancedisiweyo sinyuke ngezigidi ezingama-R785. [This effort had beautiful results, because the level of business grew, especially in tourism. The revenue of the funded small-scale tourism businesses increased by R785 million.]
These initiatives assisted small tourism businesses to increase their revenue by R785 million, thus actively supporting the creation of jobs and the maintenance of existing jobs. Emerging tourism enterprises indicate a great appreciation for the support given by the TEP, including the facilitation of their attendance at the prestigious African Travel and Tourism Trade Show.
Tourism further increased the participation of black enterprises in the economy by focussing on enterprise development and market access by predominantly black-owned businesses. It should be our objective to ensure that the benefits of tourism are equitably shared amongst the people of South Africa with initiatives planned for the empowerment of youth, women and people with disabilities through enterprises, entrepreneurships and people development for true transformation. Another effort by the Department of Tourism is that South Africans in the low-income levels can travel in their own country, just like those who can afford it, by introducing a pilot project for a holiday budget at a resort. This is to be done in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC.
The Minister of Tourism said at the 2013 Indaba in Durban, and I quote: The time has come to remove the final barriers to fully unlock our country's tourism measures and the intrinsic value of travelling for all South Africans, thereby bolstering our contribution to job creation and poverty alleviation.
The challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality require that accelerated growth takes place in the context of an effective strategy of economic distribution that builds a new and more equitable growth path.
Over the last 19 years, significant progress has been made in meeting the basic needs of our people, including through the growth of a social wage and the provision of social infrastructure. However, the distribution of economic assets and ownership, the democratisation of economic power, the empowerment of black people, women and workers, and the growth of job- creating industries have not met the expectations we had 19 years ago.
Masize koyena ndoqo esithenjiswe ngaye lisebe ... [Liphelile Ixesha.] Njengokuba senditshilo, i-ANC iyayixhasa iVoti yoHlahlo-lwabiwo-mali yama- 35. [Let us come to the main focus of what the department promised us ... As I have already said, the ANC supports Budget Vote No 35.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]