SA Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu, has requested the Director General of the Department of Tourism Victor Tharage, with the support of the Deputy Directors General, to recommend actions to support businesses as a matter of urgency.
This was highlighted during her visit – accompanied by Deputy Minister of Tourism, Fish Mahlalela – on Friday (August 13) with the senior management team of the Department of Tourism.
Sisulu noted that although tourism continued to be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, she was confident that the department would provide the necessary support that would drive recovery and protect jobs in the sector.
“We must work together to protect the current tourism jobs as well as all the businesses in the sector,” she said, pointing out that all (black- and white-owned) business in the tourism sector would be supported.
Sisulu expressed her appreciation to the Director General and Team Tourism on the work already done to ensure a seamless transition in her new role. She committed herself to considering all matters as speedily as possible, to ensure that the industry, stakeholders and all partners remained confident about the prospects of recovery of the sector.
She acknowledged the current dire state of the industry, noting that, amongst others, the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in closure of tourism businesses; many other businesses operating at drastically reduced capacity; and massive job losses amid collapse of supply and demand on the domestic and international markets.
Sisulu further pointed to what she termed “the persistent pressure on the destination brand due to the country’s association with the 501.v2 variant of the COVID-19 virus; as well as the regression of transformation in the tourism sector”.
Yet she expressed confidence that the tourism sector would soon start reopening, given progress made in the vaccination roll-out, as well as the education and awareness programmes about South Africa’s management of the COVID-19 virus and its stringent health and safety protocols.
