Chairperson, hon members, greetings. The Southern African Tourism Services Association held a successful annual conference in Stellenbosch in August. The Southern African Tourism Services Association, Satsa, is a crucial industry organising over 900 company members that offer inbound tourism services. The Southern African Tourism Services Association and all its members are doing sterling work to provide tourists with service excellence, thus promoting South Africa as a destination of choice.
As a tourism distribution channel, businesses in the inbound tourism sector generate large revenue and profit. With the tourism industry on the growth trajectory in South Africa, this sector provides opportunities for small, medium and micro enterprises, SMME, development and job creation. These opportunities range from tour guides in the local community to multinational businesses for inbound tourism.
It is therefore clear that in the tourism industry emerging businesses should be assisted to penetrate this lucrative industry and develop capacity to operate at a local, regional and international level. If this is done successfully, the sector can generate more jobs and make a huge contribution towards the 11 million jobs envisaged in the National Development Plan, NDP. This sector has the huge potential to drive transformation and it is incumbent upon the Department of Tourism to develop programmes aimed at assisting SMMEs to advance transformation.
This may include a tour operator incubator programme targeting emerging enterprises and historically disadvantaged communities. This can provide them with the necessary tools to become competitive and sustainable.
The Department of Tourism should also engage and collaborate with the private sector to develop internship programmes that will target placement and proper skills transfer. It is, however, acknowledged that inbound tour operating businesses are heavily affected by international trends and migration policies. This, therefore, makes it imperative that the Department of Tourism conducts impact studies with regard to the latest developments pertaining to the new immigration regulations.
South African tourism and Brand SA should also work towards packaging messages that will distinguish South Africa from the rest of the world. Hon members, I put this report from the Portfolio Committee of Tourism for the House to adopt. Thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Hon House Chair, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Declarations of vote:
Madam Chairperson, at this conference held by the Southern African Tourism Services Association, which I attended, very serious concerns were raised regarding the impact of the new visa regulations on South Africa's tourism industry. The conference, which was attended by very important industry role-players, such as large hotel groups, tourist service providers and companies that market tourism packages for South Africa abroad are deeply worried about the negative impact which the new biometric visa is having on South African tourism. Some have even confirmed that in China, one of South Africa's largest markets of tourism income, all marketing packages have come to an end.
The Tourism Business Council of SA reported at this conference that the impact of the new immigration regulations is that the country may lose 270 000 international tourists and in turn lose 21 000 jobs annually due to these regulations costing the country almost R9,7 billion. This begs the question: Why is our government not implementing electronic visas? This government must without fail implement electronic visas to undo the negative blow to our economy and to streamline tourist facilitation to our country as this would cut the turnaround time for the issuing of travel documentation and also, in fact, is more secure than the existing permits. Madam Chair, also given the decline in the domestic tourism figures, a serious and concerted effort must be made to deal with the issues relating to the rural development and marketing, preferential pricing for South African citizens, visiting state-managed and owned facilities and, lastly, also the affordability of travel, which is a hindrance to many South Africans.
To conclude, despite these challenges, the DA supports the report, but would also like to thank and acknowledge the work done by the tourism industry to help grow our economy, create jobs and position South Africa as a destiny of choice. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chair, I'm not even going to take three minutes. A simple issue of principle, as a small party like the EFF, is that I multitask. I cannot be given a report the previous night in order to debate it the following morning, and then you expect me to debate. Therefore, based on that ... [Interjections.]
Order! Order, hon members! Do not drown out the speaker.
I am used to that, that's why I'm keeping quiet. I want them to finish.
No, don't respond. Speak. [Interjections.]
Chair, I think we need to be given the proper time to deliberate on the report so that we will be able to come here and debate properly rather than being howled at when we come here. Therefore, I object. [Interjections.]
Hon Chairperson, once the bout is over here, I think I could continue. We agree with the hon member who presented the report that indeed the tourism sector and what happens in tourism really helps the economy of this country and many jobs are created. I think for every one tourist, two or three jobs, hon Minister, are created. I have forgotten the exact figures.
But whilst these jobs are created, and we heard about jobs like tour guides and you get drivers and things like that, I think it is about time that we start looking at equity in the tourism sector. How many of these establishments, whether they be hotel chains, airline companies or other service providers, are black-owned? Many of them are still in the hands of big corporates, where there's no transformation in terms of the shareholding of these tourism establishments. I think that is an area that we need to look at. Well and good you create so many jobs out of every tourist, but we really need to look at having equity.
I also thought I should raise the issue of airlines flying into South Africa. I read the other day that a certain airline, which is Emirates Airline, was granted permission to have a fourth flight out of Johannesburg to Dubai, but there is an objection by the Department of Transport. This doesn't augur well when an airline, which already had the permission to bring in an extra flight, suddenly now, when they've made all the arrangements to start these flights, athe Department of Transport objects, because they want to protect the interest of SA Airways. We know SA Airways is in trouble - in big trouble. We will continue putting money into SA Airways until the cows come home, and the cows will never come home.
These are the things, if we want to encourage tourists in our country, we have to be tourism-friendly in terms of allowing airlines to bring tourists here and also in terms of ensuring that we don't have another Dewani case happening here in South Africa. It really creates a bad blot on the tourism industry in our country. I'm sure the hon Minister will look into some of these issues. Thank you.
House Chair, we understand the fears and what the DA is putting forth around the new immigration regulations. The report that was put forward makes recommendations to the Department of Tourism to conduct an impact study regarding the impact of the new regulations. No one has yet tested what they are saying. We can understand that they are saying that it will have an impact on tourism, but nobody has as yet tested that impact. Thus, allow the Department of Tourism to conduct its own impact analysis and study with regard to this.
Yes, on the issue of the e-visas, we want the department to facilitate and fast-track the issuing of e-visas to those who want to visit the country, but notwithstanding the fact that those who want to apply for visas must follow due process and must allow the Department of Home Affairs to issue visas correctly when a person has applied for a visa, following everything that is stipulated relating to the issuing of visas.
Our report puts forth four recommendations that we ask the House to agree to and those talk to the department to fast-track the issues of the impact around the immigration regulations and also how we can transform the tourism industry. We want our people to be owners of these establishments and we want those who were previously disadvantaged by the system to come forth. We want new entrants into the tourism industry and business to come forth and penetrate this industry, and that's what we are putting forward. With your permission, these are the recommendations that we put forth to the House. Thank you. [Applause.]
Question put.
Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.