There is another faint glimmer of hope around the black cloud of the tour operator licence issuing delays – which organisations such as SATSA and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) have been lobbying since 2017 to address – following the announcement of measures to mitigate this by the Department of Transport.

Earlier this month, Cabinet received a progress report on addressing the backlog which reiterated that a commitment from the Department of Tourism would partner with relevant institutions and structures including the Department of Transport Interim National Public Transport Regulator Committee to ensure improvement and quicker turnaround times in the processing of tour operator licences.

The backlog on issuing tour operator licences by the National Public Transport Regulator (NPTR) has long been highlighted as one of the key pre-COVID legacy barriers to tourism growth and recovery – in addition to visas and crime.

Some progress made

There has been some progress, particularly last year when the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, highlighted it as a priority area for her administration when addressing delegates at the SATSA conference in April last year.

This issue was highlighted again at the TBCSA Leadership Conference in September last year, where de Lille noted that some of the backlog had been cleared.

Tourism Update also identified the NPTR backlog to create more media awareness, inviting operators to share anecdotal evidence on how the backlog was affecting them, with many highlighting negative economic impacts on their business and threats of closure if this issue was not resolved.

This was pre-COVID and it continues to be a real threat to tourism business survival, with many operators continuing to highlight challenges around this issue.

Key interventions

The Cabinet report has suggested that a call centre – aimed at addressing tour operator queries – be established with the intention to facilitate communication and support for those awaiting licence approvals.

Furthermore, the report highlighted that the Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, had directed provincial and local law enforcement to cease penalising tour operators who are pending responses on their licence applications.

“These steps are part of the government's response to the delays and challenges faced by tour operators in securing their necessary licensing. By partnering with relevant institutions and establishing direct support mechanisms, the initiative seeks to enhance the efficiency of the licensing process,” reads the Cabinet statement.