Ms Beatrice Ngcobo, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, has called for the slashing of airport taxes in South Africa to make travelling affordable which, she said, can boost domestic tourism and create more jobs in the tourism industry.
Participating in the debate of the Department of Tourism’s Budget Vote during a mini-plenary of the National Assembly, the Committee Chairperson said exorbitant travel costs were an obstacle to domestic travel, and called on the review of such costs as airport taxes.
“It is important that the cost of travel must be made accessible and affordable to encourage domestic travel, this could be done by reducing airport taxes to encourage domestic travel,” she said.
Ms Ngcobo also called on the National Treasury to provide details on the effects of carbon tax on tourism.
The Chairperson said the tourism industry was able to maintain the economy even when major industries were shaken, and called on more investment in the development of tourism to attract more international visitors.
Ms Ngcobo’s (ANC) views were shared by Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament, Mr James Vos, who said domestic travel was too expensive for many South Africans.
“Exorbitant airport taxes are the main cause of the inability to travel by air, we call on the Department of Tourism to investigate how aviation taxes can be reduced to stimulate tourism in the country, especially domestic travel,” he said.
Mr Vos also condemned the revised Visa regulations, saying they resulted in a huge decrease in tourism, and revenue losses.
Domestic tourism is expensive for many South Africans, we must find a way to get more South Africans to travel and explore their country
He also called for more township tourism and for the promotion of cultural tourism to create a culture for people to travel to the townships and rural areas.
Mr Thembinkosi Rawula of the Economic Freedom Fighters said having a single grading authority, as well as the grading criteria, were leaving many township and rural facilities ungraded and unmarketable.
“The Budget overlooks the taxi industry, which if properly regulated, has the potential to empower township tourism,” he said.
Inkosi Russel Cebekhulu of the Inkatha Freedom Party said the promotion of domestic and international tourism in all provinces had the potential to create more jobs and grow the economy.
Minister of Tourism, Ms Tokozile Xasa, said: “Tourism is a significant and critical sector in our economy as it contributes positively to the trade balance through foreign exchange receipts, sustains 700 000 direct jobs and is performing stronger than the other five growth sectors.”
She said this presents a greater opportunity for integration with other Nine-Point Plan sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and transport, among others. “We recognise this potential and are working with our partners to maximise the social and economic benefits of tourism beyond just the sector. Tourism in South Africa is on the rise. The Department of Tourism is using its budget of R2.1bn to ensure that, as tourism rises, the people of South Africa rise with it. We will deploy this modest budget to pursue the following strategic areas for tourism growth. Marketing takes the largest component of this budget at 53% or R1.1bn.
“It is clear that tourism responds to the external shocks a lot faster than other sectors. In particular, concerns about personal safety and violent crimes are at the top of the mind when all of us make travel decisions, and this is no different when it comes to international tourists,” said the Minister.
She said there was a need for South Africans to work together to “build the confidence of tourists to their destination”.
“Marketing alone is not enough, our own actions as South Africans will determine how our message is received by our targeted markets. The recent Ebola incident reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo requires urgent collective attention as what happens in one part of the continent, will always be perceived as occurring across the continent,” she said.
By Sakhile Mokoena
23 May 2017
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