Tourism Deputy Minister Maggie Sotyu says it is important for the tourism sector to stand together, united by the common goal of growing an inclusive sector.

‘We have over 300 delegates representing the sector, which is testimony of our success in working together to fully recover from COVID-19 shocks and further grow the tourism sector,’ Sotyu said.

Addressing the Tourism Leadership Conference taking place in Sun City, North West province, on Thursday, Sotyu applauded the tourism sector for its resilience and perseverance since the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘We are here to not just reflect on the past but also to look forward, charting a course for the future of the tourism sector,’ she said.

Sotyu said by continuing to adapt and finding ways to maintain operations, the tourism sector played a vital role in supporting local economies and communities.

‘While we are here to understand the business landscape and plan together for a prosperous sector ahead, let us acknowledge our achievements that materialised si
nce the last conference.

‘I want to emphasise that the tourism sector is a crucial economic sector for our country. Another notable achievement is that we are on our way to achieve our collective target of 2019 international arrivals by 2024, and we must build on this to achieve our National Development Plan (NDP) revised target of 15.1 million tourists by 2030.

‘Also pleasing is that we have fully recovered on the domestic tourism front, and now need to consolidate on the gains and go beyond just travel,’ Sotyu said.

She commended the tourism sector for their participation in the sho’t left campaign in their numbers.

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‘The listing of your products and the all-important discounts on the sho’t left website is much appreciated. However, we need more in the future campaigns,’ said Sotyu.

In September 2023, the Tourism Minister released the green paper on tourism for public comment, and over 3 500 submissions were made to the department, which were all
considered and the white paper is currently under consideration by Cabinet.

Cabinet has also approved the Tourism Sector Master Plan and extended its implementation until 2026.

Sotyu explained that the reason for the extension was based on the fact that the sector has not fully recovered from the COVID-19 impact and that more still needs to be done, such as increase aviation capacity and improve visa facilitation for large markets, especially India and China.

‘The gazetting of the white paper for implementation will improve the enabling regulatory environment. I would like to indicate that the implementation of the Tourism Master Plan is well underway, and the tourism stakeholders are holding each other accountable through the Master Plan structures,’ she said.

Sotyu said the department had partnered with the sector and developed the Tourism Crisis Management Strategy to build the resilience of the sector.

‘If anything, COVID-19 taught us to anticipate any scenario. The strategy aims to ensure that the s
ector is able to mitigate and respond to and manage crisis as and when such occurs,’ she said.

Source: South African Government News Agency