19 May 2000
Madam Speaker
Honourable Members
Ladies and Gentlemen
We stand before you today with very warm hearts as we debate this Tourist Guides Amendment Bill. This is a continuation of the process of transforming our tourism sector. The present Tourism Act narrowly defines the qualifications necessary to become a tour guide.
This Bill seeks to facilitate the entry of persons from the disadvantaged sectors of the community by the recognition of prior learning and experiential learning in accordance with applicable education and training legislation. Further the Bill seeks to remove the tourist guides registration function from South African Tourism (SATOUR) in pursuance of the objective to convert Satour into a purely marketing agency.
The Bill provides for the transfer of the proposed national tourist guide function from SATOUR to the Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism and the proposed provincial tourist guide function down to provincial level. This would require co-ordination between DEAT and the provinces to facilitate the implementation of the provincial tourist guiding functions.
The tourist guiding staff members, presently residing at Satour, will be accommodated at DEAT. The logistics are being put in place, for this transitional arrangement, which will be finalised as soon as this Bill becomes law.
It will be the responsibility of the national registrar at DEAT to establish and maintain a national database of all tour guides.
The national registrar will in consultation with the provincial tourist guide registrars, prepare a code of conduct for tourist guides; hear and determine appeals lodged; roll out programmes to improve quality of service in the guiding sector; facilitate broader access of historically disadvantaged communities into tour guiding; monitor trends in the tourist guiding industry by conducting research and analysis and publishing of tourist guide information.
DEAT will assist provinces in establishing tour guide registries as an ongoing process. Those provinces that have indicated their inability to consolidate the functions at this stage, into their provinces, will have to be assisted.
The Bill further devolves the tourist guide registration function to provinces, and provides for the appointment of a provincial tourist guide registrar whose function, as prescribed in the Bill, shall be to register tourist guides and maintain a provincial register for this purpose; promote and develop the tourist guiding industry in the province; publish information about other matters relating to the industry and handle complaints and exercise disciplinary powers in respect of tourist guides as provided by law.
Furthermore, the provincial registrars will liase with the national registrar of tourist guides in an effort to ensure:
2.attend meetings and functions associated with the position; manage and maintain standards of tourist guiding on a provincial basis;
3.ensure meaningful training is applied and that the students are afforded this opportunity;
4.deal with enquiries: telephonic, written and in person associated with the tourist guide sector of the industry;
5.manage and convene the registration panel process in association with the national registrar of tourist guides and assist with the administration of financial transactions associated with the registration process and
6.to ensure full co-ordination of this responsibility with the relevant financial officer.
South Africa is a country of numerous natural and human wonders waiting to be discovered by both domestic and foreign tourists. South Africa is uniquely distinct from other world destinations. It boasts modern infrastructure and sophisticated communication networks that make it completely competitive in the world market. It is blessed with a unique and varied cultural heritage, rich biological diversity and probably one of the earths most beautiful surfaces.
With a coastline that stretches for about 3000km between Namibia in the west and Mozambique in the east, South Africa has the 3rd highest level of biological diversity in the world, over 10 000 plant and animal species, almost 15% of the coastal species known worldwide – are found in South African waters, with 12% of these occuring nowhere else in the whole world.
Our wetlands, a total of 16 of which are of international importance, our cultural and heritage sites, three of which have are World Heritage status, boost South Africa’s status as a formidable world competitor in tourism.
These features, including the many I have not mentioned, have remained unexposed to the world.
It is these tourism features that must be fully optimized to sell South Africa to tourists, while conserving their worth and sustainability to ensure their life through generations to come.
We are, however, challenged to put the industry on the route towards transformation. If our work as government is to be justified and credible in the eyes of the majority, we surely have to define a course for ensuring not only the access to the emerging entrepeneur, but mass involvement in tourism product and business.
We are, through this Bill seeking to open up the field to as many people as possible, especially from the previously disadvantaged communities. This opening up is both through greater job opportunities for them as amongst others tour guides and placing formerly excluded local destinations and attractions squarely on the domestic and international tourism maps.
The growth of tourism in this country should not perptuate the exploitation of our people, and especially those in the poorer communities. These concerns recently came to the fore during the Tourism Indaba in Durban.
Tour guides let South Africans know more about other parts of their country and lay the foundations for effective nation building.
Proper knowledge of our past and present will assist to build a solid future.
Tour guides open up South Africa to the rest of the world, allowing more and more people get the proper and accurate picture of the country.
This Bill will also ensure that the many illegal tour guides out there can become legitimate. Members of the public will now be able to report them to the provincial registrar if they have complaints and also commend them when they have to do. These watchdogs will hopefully encourage better service and products in the sector.
Tour guides, must know their environment, they must live it and take pride in it. It is this that make local people best to lead tourists through these experiences and wealth of products.
CONCLUSION The tourism sector is not standing aloof as the winds of African Rennaisance blow across this continent. In the same way that larger numbers of tourguides will be needed in order to market South Africa, so will this be necessary for the continent. As we market Africa by sub-region; as groups of destinations/countries and so on, so shall we need tour guides who are experts in more than few desinations counties and regions. These tour guides will need to be multiskilled; multicultural and know a number of languages. This is very exciting, as it will allow for knowledge about African people to rapidly expand and hopefully engender African opportunities for trade, investment, and greater tourist flows etc. Tourism if well harnessed can make the African Rennaissance a reality a short time.
In an attempt to mobilize the support of our public we have launched the "SA Welcome Campaign" as a flagship tourism awareness programme aimed at establishing us as tourist. Our people need to understand the value and importance of tourism to our country in general and in their daily lives. This campaign acknowledges that our success as a tourist destination rests on how we package our products and services and the treatment we give to our tourists.
All of our people, from the woman and man selling arts and crafts on the street, the petrol attendant in a remote petrol station to the front-line staff at hotels and ports of entry, need to know how to treat tourists and travelers alike. This is the essence of the "Welcome Campaign"
The message is simple: tourism is everbody’s business.
The Tourism and Hospitality and Sports Education Training Authority (THETA) will be responsible for setting of standards and norms pertaining to the tour guide sector. Whilst we encourage the maintenance of high standards, obstacles to easier entry in this area should not be erected. We should also endeavour to embrace as many experiences as possible in the training of tour guides. South Africa should set the international standards in this area. We should all play positive roles in this endeavour.
The Department will through its Tourism Enterprise Development Programme (TEDP) provide assistance to small, medium and micro tourism enterprises, especially those from previously disadvantaged communities.
This will entail access to finance, mentorship assistance business linkage opportunities, business skills training and access to information and advice.
There are numerous other government programmes to assist SMME’s and we hope to create better synergy between these and those of my department.
On the other hand, we urge the well-established players in the tourism industry to open opportunities for new entrants, especially tour guides. Through this process inter-linkages between different sectors will be created and the process of nation building enhanced. South Africa on the other hand has to become a tourist nation.
Our people have to improve service standards, increase the range of services and products that we offer tourists and treat every body with dignity and respect. This will surely make us a winning nation and really grow our tourism sector and related industries.
Ke a leboga!
Thank you