President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address on Friday, announced that government will enhance support for destination marketing in key tourism markets.
Further measures will be taken to reduce regulatory barriers and develop emerging tourism businesses.
“Tourism is another area which provides our country with incredible opportunities to, quite literally, shine,” President Ramaphosa said.
Tourism currently sustains 700 000 direct jobs and is performing better than most other growth sectors.
“We have the most beautiful country in the world and the most hospitable people. We call on all South Africans to open their homes and their hearts to the world,” President Ramaphosa said to much applause in the National Assembly.
Last year, Cabinet approved the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) 2016-2026.
The NTSS is a sector-wide strategy designed to boost the potential contribution of tourism to national development objectives and the aspirations of the country, as envisioned in the National Development Plan (NDP).
It was published in 2011 as a 10-year strategy aimed at increasing tourism’s direct contribution to the economy and creating jobs in the sector.
In 2015, the Department of Tourism commissioned the review of the NTSS to ensure that the strategy remains relevant in a rapidly changing global environment. The review also set out to align the NTSS to the NDP and the Tourism Act 3 of 2014. The process culminated in the second iteration of the NTSS (NTSS 2016 – 2026).
The Department of Tourism will lead, support, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the NTSS.
In addition, the strategy makes way for public and private sector participation to ensure coordinated implementation efforts. – SAnews.gov.za
