Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, during oversight visits undertaken over the past financial years, the Portfolio Committee on Tourism noted the lack of infrastructure in some provinces as one of the major constraints in ensuring that the country's tourism potential was realised.
Thus, the invitation extended to the nation as a whole by President Zuma in his state of the nation address to join government in what he termed "a massive infrastructure development drive" should be seen as a great stride forward and one that should contribute to tourism growth and development. The project places the construction of roads, railways and airports and the provision of electricity and water at the centre of this year's national priorities.
Meanwhile, South Africa is sitting with 7 000 km of rail track that is not being put to use and is not being maintained. Government ought to encourage the private sector to utilise this infrastructure and create new services primarily aimed at the leisure market. In its marketing message the Department of Tourism has identified the need to encourage South Africans to move away from purpose to leisure travel. The existing rail infrastructure must be developed, improved and put into use if its total disrepair is to be avoided. There is no doubt that the charm of rail transport holds a great attraction for all tourists, domestic and international. Surely, the Blue Train cannot be the only train that South Africa has to offer. Rather, South Africa must wake up to the abundance of opportunities that exist for job creation.
We welcome the department's recognition of the importance of marketing South Africa as the best destination to visitors from African states. With an additional allocation of R218 million for this purpose in the medium term, the South African tourism entity will expand its work to grow the number of tourist visits from Africa. We can only hope that the marketing strategy for Africa will be relevant. For example, there would be no point in encouraging West Africans to visit the Kruger National Park, because there are more and bigger lions in their countries than in South Africa.
SA Tourism markets South Africa to the rest of the world, but also domestically within the country. The continued increase in the number of international tourist visits from year to year, in spite of the global recession, is testimony to the resilient efforts made by this entity. The number of domestic travellers has also seen a steady increase in the past financial year. However, the challenge to fully develop the potential for domestic tourism remains.
In a recent presentation to the portfolio committee by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, TBCSA, the suggestion was made that to boost the local tourism industry and maximise its contribution to the economy, there was indeed a need to establish a separate entity to market local tourism. Cope is inclined to support this view, though we are aware of possible budget implications.
The following are some of the reasons for our support. A separate entity would leave SA Tourism with more time to focus on international marketing. The new entity would be responsible for all four subprogrammes under Programme 4, which is Domestic Tourism, and would also have sufficient time to pay attention to detail, ensuring the achievement of targets that have been set. It would also focus on current challenges such as providing support to small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs, for economic development and job creation, monitoring targeted enterprises and ensuring that they yielded positive results. It would focus on and promote cultural and heritage tourism projects, encouraging more sustainable investment and better upkeep of heritage sites by provinces and municipalities, while also encouraging public -private partnerships. Such an entity would closely monitor and evaluate the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, of the department, closely assessing the projects and their impact on job creation and skills development, but also addressing concerns such as those raised by the Auditor-General in the budget of the past year. All this, hon Minister, would be part of local marketing, which is currently the responsibility of SA Tourism.
The importance of marketing South Africa to its own citizens cannot be overemphasised. We need to be more aggressive in doing so. In India, for example, stickers seen on the streets of some cities exhort the people with the words "Tourism works for you". People need to know this and internalise the message. In Mexico the slogan is also very appealing, to both domestic and international tourists: "Mexico, the place you thought you knew". With such an appealing message, one cannot but move away from purpose to leisure travel. You just feel like travelling! I am not in any way implying that South Africa should copycat the slogans. We are capable of inventing our own to ensure that we educate our people regarding all the benefits of tourism.
Lastly, Cope wishes to reiterate the need and urgency for improved interdepartmental and intergovernmental co-ordination to ensure the success of tourism in our country. With only 18 years to the year 2030, by which time it is envisaged that most, if not all, South Africans will be enjoying the much promised "better life for all", co-ordination within departments and among the three spheres of government is no longer a choice but a must. The tourism industry and its attractions are located in the provinces and municipalities, and its success is dependent on other sectors. Such co- ordination, if taken seriously, can lead to improvement in product development.
One thing the portfolio committee delegation learnt on its visit to Mexico in January this year was the importance of the involvement of all stakeholders in developing all tourism products prior to implementation. [Time expired.] [Applause.]