The commitments made towards the recovery of the tourism sector by the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, in her Budget Vote speech yesterday (May 18) are encouraging and are geared towards an inclusive recovery.
This according to CEO of South African Tourism, Sisa Ntshona, who also welcomed the allocation of close to R1.3bn (€140.25m) for marketing efforts to stimulate the tourism industry again.
Last fiscal year (2020/2021) the budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that much-needed marketing efforts were put on hold, and the budget to be reallocated toward the fight against the pandemic.
“As South African Tourism, we were clear that the priority during the last fiscus was, and still is, the preservation of human life. Which is why we certainly understood the need for the budget cuts at the time,” commented Ntshona.
“With the world slowly opening up for travel and tourism possibilities again, we need to remain at the forefront of travellers’ minds, and through the latest allocation, we can certainly start rolling out plans and campaigns again that are suitable for the environment in which we are operating.”
Domestic tourism still leading recovery
He echoed Kubayi-Ngubane’s sentiments that domestic tourism would still lead the recovery effort as it had done over the last six months.
“There has been a paradigm shift in tourism demand since the start of the pandemic from international to domestic travel. In the past financial year, the modest income the sector earned was mainly derived from increased domestic travel,” said Kubayi-Ngubane during her Budget Vote speech.
In view of that, she noted, domestic marketing efforts would be intensified in this financial year. “The Department, together with SA Tourism and in partnership with the private sector, will undertake several domestic marketing campaigns. These will include marketing of various attractions, deal-driven campaigns and digital engagements aimed at reaching South Africans of all ages, races and classes.”
Focus on 24 international markets
Ntshona added that the tourism body was now also able to focus on the markets identified by the revised Marketing Investment Framework, which is focused on 24 markets.
In total, 24 markets or countries were identified for prioritisation, segmented into 16 ‘Growth’ and eight ‘Defend’ markets, and others earmarked as ‘Watchlist’. The 24 prioritised markets accounted for 92% of all international trips in 2019.
“Our international campaign will be bolstered by our continued participation in multilateral and other forums such as the AU, WTTC, G20, WEF and UNWTO. This will provide South Africa with opportunity to learn and share experiences in terms of globally recognised protocols to enable safe travel and rebuild traveller confidence,” said the Minister.
Inclusivity and transformation
Ntshona said he was also encouraged by the inclusivity and transformation initiatives outlined by the Minister.
“In order to have a successful tourism industry, we need to have a transformed and inclusive sector and we are in full support of the programmes around SMME and women-owned businesses.”
Further key points that would provide a glimmer of hope for the industry included a strategy to adapt dual pricing, which would allow for pricing that was specifically tailored for South African residents and the plan to roll out e-visas to at least 14 countries in the near future, said Ntshona.