SA: Van Schalkwyk: Speech delivered by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism at the opening of the local government tourism indaba (26/01/2009)

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Published: 26 Jan 2009

SA: Van Schalkwyk: Speech delivered by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism at the opening of the local government tourism indaba (26/01/2009)

Date: 26/01/2009

Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

Title: SA: Van Schalkwyk: Speech delivered by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism at the opening of the local government tourism indaba.

The state of tourism in South Africa

Despite the realities presented by the economic slowdown, 2008 remained a buoyant year for the South African tourism industry. The latest available figures for foreign arrivals, for the first ten months of 2008, show a strong increase in arrivals of 5.4 percent from January to October. This follows an excellent growth rate of 8.3 percent in 2007, a year during which we exceeded 9 million foreign arrivals to our country.

As we examine the statistics for the first ten months of 2008, we have to note that we have begun to see some decreases in the month-on-month figures when comparing 2008 to 2007. Arrivals from North America remained stable compared to October 2007 and we saw increases in arrivals from Australasia (6.3 percent) and the Middle East (5.9 percent). We however experienced decreases in arrivals of 6.5 percent from Europe and 4.6 percent from Central and South America.

Our industry is by no means immune to the effects of the international economic crisis, but we are still confident that we will reach our target of 10 million visitors in 2010. Our country continues to be a value-for-money destination and with international events like the Confederations Cup and World Cup lined up, there will be opportunities in abundance and tourism will retain the important role it plays in our economic growth.

Tourism and local government

In order to ensure that we maximise the potential of our country and the vibrancy offered by its people, it is vital that all role-players in the industry share their skills, knowledge and talent. This includes forging partnerships between governments at all levels.

Our department remains committed to working with local government to ensure that the benefits of tourism are shared as widely as possible. This is amongst others illustrated by the fact that since 1999, we have been financially involved in 335 tourism projects in the nine provinces, aimed at enhancing tourism and improving infrastructure at a local level.

To date, more than R1 billion has been spent on these projects and these initiatives have contributed to the creation of 1480 permanent jobs and more than 4 million temporary work days. I would like to encourage local authorities to continue to work with us to ensure that these projects are completed successfully. This will further contribute to job creation and the transfer of skills where it is most needed.

The importance of the role of local government in the successful growth of the tourism industry cannot be overemphasised and the examples of its pivotal role are many.

Local government is an engine room that drives the planning and management of South Africa's natural and cultural assets. Tourism relies on having these resources in a healthy state. Local government also provides the core utilities and infrastructure on which the tourism industry is based.

It furthermore manages attractions such as sports stadium, convention centres, parks, events and other amenities. Local government also enables local tourism management through the provision of visitor information and through being the primary source of funding for regional and local tourism organisations.

There are, however, a number of challenges that are hampering an integrated and co-ordinated approach. This includes that most local authority staff do not have a collective approach to planning for tourism or destination management. In some cases local government does not use national and provincial information for tourism planning.

This conference aims to recognise and empower local government in terms of tourism management as well as ensure ongoing co-operation between the various spheres of government.

As part of reaching these goals, I am very pleased to be able to launch the draft Tourism Planning Toolkit for Local Government. The intention of the toolkit is to clarify how to complete a basic tourism plan within a South African local municipality. The toolkit also makes an important contribution towards advancing competence in tourism planning at a local level and the setting of minimum standard for such plans.

We are extremely proud of the fact that the toolkit is a practical document. It amongst others:
* provides research and management systems to help with the obtaining of information, preparation of strategic tourism plans and assessment of their effectiveness
* assists local authorities in their strategic and financial planning
* helps ensure the appropriate investment in infrastructure and services for tourism
* assists with the development of community tourism plans
* describes how relevant legislation can be used for sustainable tourism development
* provides case studies as examples of good practice.

Future challenges and strategic direction

I have already made it very clear that we have a lot to be optimistic about when it comes to our tourism industry. We have seen phenomenal growth over the last number of years, but we have to take cognisance of the international realities of economic pressure and increased competitions for tourism spend.

In this context, it is more important than ever that Brand South Africa is promoted seamlessly and distinctively. This requires an integrated approach from all of us. In addition, we recognise that a visitor's holiday experience is always further enhanced by good service, which is why we are very proud of the Service Excellence programme we will be implementing this year in partnership with the Tourism Business Council. I would like to appeal to local government stakeholders to work with us to encourage product owners to take part in these training programmes, as it is an investment in customer satisfaction and the generation of future business.

Our department is also in the process of finalising a strategy for this sector for the next five years in response to the changes we have seen in the global arena and the local tourism marketplace. Our vision is to see tourism valued as one of the leading economic contributors to a sustainable South African economy. I believe this is entirely possible if we harness the power of our collective action and if each level of government continues to maximise the positive impact it can have on the tourism industry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a cohesive approach will enable us to position ourselves better, to proactively identify challenges and opportunities and to ensure that tourism continues to benefit our country on many levels. There are obstacles to be faced and there is hard work ahead, but every step we take will be easier and advance us even further, provided we take it together. I thank you.