The Department of Tourism has introduced an incentive programme to encourage privately-owned tourism enterprises to move towards cleaner energy sources and more energy efficient operations.
The Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP), in collaboration with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), supports the Tourism Department’s goal of sustainable and inclusive tourism development. It follows the recent handover of a solar photovoltaic mini-grid on Robben Island Museum by the Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa.
Managed and administered by the IDC, the programme will provide grant funding on a sliding scale from 30% to 90% (capped at R1 million) to qualifying small and micro tourism enterprises to implement interventions that will improve energy efficiency and reduce operational costs.
“Renewable energy generating systems should be more accessible to all within the sector. For this reason, we have introduced the Green Tourism Incentive Programme… The aim of the programme is to encourage small and micro tourism enterprises, through a cost-sharing grant, to retrofit their facilities with energy efficiency systems.
“Responsible tourism is everyone’s business, with an immense potential to increase our country’s global competitiveness. I urge the industry to embrace the Green Tourism Incentive Programme, and help us build a sustainable and inclusive tourism sector,” Minister Xasa said.
The department and IDC will work closely with the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa to conduct energy efficiency audits and determine the best possible solutions to be implemented.
The IDC’s head of Development Funds, Christine Engelbrecht, says one of the programme’s fundamental criteria is transformation.
“Transformation and ownership is a critical dimension of the IDC’s mandate. Enterprises with high levels of compliance in terms of the Tourism B-BBEE Scorecard will be awarded a larger grant,” Engelbrecht said.
Only exempt micro enterprises, with a total annual turnover of below R5 million and qualifying small enterprises with the total annual revenue of between R5 million and R45 million respectively, will be considered.
The first two-month application window will be opened from 1 November 2017 to 31 December 2017 to call for prospective applicants to submit applications for the GTIP.
Information, application forms and guidelines are obtainable on the IDC website at www.idc.co.za and enquiries can be directed to gtip@idc.co.za. – SAnews.gov.za
