Chairperson, may I ask for a very short adjournment. The hon the Minister is on his way. We had inconvenienced the Minister as a result of giving preference to the previous orders, with the result that he just had to deal with some matters of an urgent nature, but he is on his way. That is the indication that we have received.
Order! On the directive of the Chief Whip of the Council we will adjourn for five minutes.
Business suspended at 16:40 and resumed at 16:43.
Chairperson, may I apologise for not being here on time. It is simply because of the change in the schedule. I am sorry about that. I should have been here.
What we have before us here is the Tourism Amendment Bill, which essentially deals with the regulation of the tour guiding system. Before I speak on the Bill itself, may I just say, as an introductory remark, that the quality of the tour guides that we have in this country, or that any country has, impacts substantially on the growth, or otherwise, of the tourism industry.
Large numbers of international visitors, particularly, depend on tour guides in order to be able to experience the country in an adequate and full manner so to speak. I therefore, think that we should not underestimate the value and importance of tour guides to the tourism industry and to the economy as a whole.
This is an area, I must say, which not everybody easily considers as a career option. We are hoping that with the introduction of this particular Bill we will be able to take a number of steps in order to ensure that particularly people from disadvantaged communities, young people and schoolchildren, will begin to consider this as a serious career option, as it is considered in various other parts of the world.
This Bill seeks to lay the foundation for developing a socially, environmentally and culturally responsible tourist guiding sector, and will enable the removal of historical barriers to entry into the tourism industry, while at the same time developing a guiding sector that will enhance the international competitiveness of our tourism offering. The Bill constitutes a bold step towards transformation of the tourism industry in line with the White Paper on tourism. This object informs the regulatory framework review that we are conducting in parallel with this legislative process. It is these regulations that will help us measure the success of the law we want to enact.
We have now placed on the agenda of all players in the tourism industry the question of industry transformation in the form of a framework document which is being finalised by my department. The underlying principles of that policy framework are the creation of opportunities for access, entrepreneurial development, and employment for the disadvantaged persons and communities. The frontier of delivery on this promise cannot be pushed out any further, as those whom we hope will benefit through this Bill remain on the periphery of the tourism industry and its benefits as we speak.
While the Bill focuses primarily on tourist guiding, the impact thereof goes far beyond this sector of the tourism industry. In essence the Bill has much relevance to our efforts to create jobs, increase tourism to South Africa and position the country as a competitive destination. It is therefore in this context that we seek the NCOP's approval of this Bill.
The Bill further seeks to ensure quality tourism experiences for visitors and travellers in South Africa. To this end, the Bill locates tourist guide training and qualification within the new paradigm established by the Skills Development Act, and the South African Qualifications Authority Act under the custodianship of the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority, the so-called Theta.
This will contribute significantly to the quality of guiding services in the country, and lower barriers to entry, as the new training regime will recognise indigenous knowledge, as well as previous learning and experience. You will recall that we have just sent a group of 40 protgs to Germany for intensive training in the field of tour guiding, which was made easy by the Theta's involvement.
Transferring the oversight function to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, and decentralising the administration of the guide registration function to provinces, will ensure accessibility to tourist guiding and allow for better marketing of South Africa as a tourism destination. A decentralised system brings the means of entering the industry closer to the people, and ensures a better dissemination of information about tourist guiding.
Also, speedy implementation of the new system will enhance Satour's ability to focus on its core function, that is the marketing of South Africa as a prime tourism destination. We thus need to put the new system into operation as soon as possible by moving speedily on the approval of the Tourism Amendment Bill.
I am sure hon members will agree that we are now not only going to be able to effectively discourage illegal and fly-by-night tour guides, but that we will create a window of opportunity to provide support to those who need it most. Further, the Bill will serve as an important instrument in moving the industry as a whole in the right direction, creating a firm basis for the performance of the function by the appropriate actors with specific targets on focused areas.
A number of provinces during our discussions, particularly in the Minmec, have raised the question of finances, and whether this will place an undue burden on provinces as far as financial implications are concerned. May I just say here that Satour has indicated that to the extent that it would have budgeted for the tour guiding function, which is currently with Satour, those funds would be transferred to the department, whereafter the department would be able to transfer those on a pro rata basis.
That, of course, would be for the remainder of this particular financial year. I am not certain whether these would be substantial amounts as such. The important thing about locating this function with either the national department or the provincial departments - in this case it is located both with national and provincial departments - would be for all of us to apply our minds to finding a way in which the industry can pay for itself.
The tour guiding system services the industry, and in most countries of the world this is a function that pays for itself. For example, a registration fee for tour guides would be a source of income which could be used for this particular purpose. Secondly, those enterprises within the industry that need to interact with tour guides and provinces themselves may need to find a way in which they themselves register so as to make sure that sufficient funds do come in.
This is an area which all provinces would certainly, in their own interests, have to promote and attend to in as rigorous a manner as possible. At the end of the day, a tour guide tends to be province- specific. If one wants well-trained, highly knowledgeable tour guides, one cannot simply rely on people that have a general knowledge of locations in South Africa, but would rather seek out people who have a specific, in- depth knowledge about particular provinces. I think those provinces that have adequate and better tour guides will, at the end of the day, make themselves more competitive as well. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, special delegates, permanent delegates, members of the select committee, the Tourism Amendment Bill has its origin in the White Paper on tourism and, more specifically, in the tourist guide policy which was prepared and issued by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in 1999. It seeks to regulate the tourist guide profession by requiring the registration of tourist guides, and that these guides abide by a code of conduct and ethics.
To understand the purpose of this Bill, it is important to bear in mind that the tourist guide is the most intimate point of contact with foreign and domestic tourists. The tourist guide's conduct will therefore, to a large extent, determine whether a tourist returns or not.
Furthermore, given the expansion of the tourism industry, caused by its transformation, it is likely that the demand for tourist guides will continue to rise. It is essential, therefore, that the Government puts in place a mechanism through which it can monitor the quality of service provided by the growing number of tourist guides.
The Bill envisages a critical role for provinces in this process. This is necessary, given the critically important role played by provinces in the development and promotion of the tourism industry in South Africa. It gives the MEC responsible for tourism in each province the power to appoint an officer in the province to act as a provincial registrar of tourist guides.
The provincial registrar will be responsible for the registration of all tourist guides in the province and the maintenance of a register for this purpose; the issuing of registration certificates and badges to tourist guides who have complied with the registration procedure; the promotion and development of the tourist guiding sector in the respective provinces; dealing with complaints; the withdrawal of the registration of tourist guides who have become disqualified to act as tourist guides; and the exercise of disciplinary powers in respect of tourist guides.
The provision made in the Bill for the participation of provincial governments in the registration of tourist guides and in the preparation of a code of conduct and ethics with which all tourist guides must comply, should therefore be welcomed.
The competence referred to in the proposed new section 21A(2) includes not only qualifications, but also unit standards. Subsection (3) deals with exclusions. No one who has failed to go through a validation programme will be registered as a guide. The validation is specifically aimed at people who are currently acting as guides. They will have two years in which to go through the process.
Registration will only have to be renewed every two years. There will be a fee involved, as the Minister has said, on renewal. However, one will not necessarily be tested again. The initial validation test would essentially be a once-off thing to move people from the old system into the new one. In the new system, when one renews registration, what will be required is proof of what one has been doing in the intervening years in terms of tours and training.
The proposed section 21(B) deals with competence, and refers to the South African Qualifications Authority Act, which falls outside the department's jurisdiction. Linking tourist guiding with the above Act ensures that there will be nationally recognised qualifications so that people can receive credit for the training they have gone through.
It also enables tour operators who train guides to access funds from the skills levy. If their trainees go through a programme that is registered on the National Qualifications Framework, this will encourage operators to take on guides as learners or apprentices.
With these words we support this Bill. We hope that it will, indeed, bring about transformation, and that those disadvantaged tour guides who were not skilled as such, but skilled in their line of action, will also be given an opportunity to participate in the entire industry. [Applause.]
Mnr die Voorsitter, die DP is 'n voorstaander van die devolusie van mag, en daarom sal ons hierdie wetgewing steun, want dit beteken dat toerisme nader gebring word aan die mense en gemeenskappe wat voorheen nie deel was van hierdie bedryf nie. Sodoende kan sekere streke se kultuurhistoriese aspekte maksimaal ontwikkel en benut word.
Daar is egter 'n bekommernis by ons, en dit is die feit dat die funksie afgewentel word sonder die nodige finansiering. Ek het nou geluister na wat die Minister s, maar ek sal aan die einde van my toespraak daarna verwys. Die vraag ontstaan nou watter proses gevolg word om seker te maak dat die provinsies die kapasiteit - wat ook beteken finansiering - en die mannekrag het om hierdie wetgewing, wat alle goeie doel voor o het, in werking te stel.
Hierdie gaping kan slegs gevul word met 'n oorgangsfasiliteit wat saam met die wetgewing in werking gestel word om die provinsies by te staan. Die finansiering indien enige - ek verneem nou dat Satoer 'n bydrae gaan maak - blyk slegs in die aanvangstadium te wees, met die verskoning dat dit 'n geld-genererende funksie is. Terselfdertyd is hierdie funksie egter ook ontwikkelend van aard aangesien dit gekoppel is om ekonomiese groei te stimuleer, vaardighede en entrepreneurskap te ontwikkel en die bre gemeenskap te betrek. Om te kan ontwikkel, benodig 'n mens fondse - soos die spreekwoord lui, ``money makes money.''
Aangesien Satoer nou sy eintlike funksie kan verrig om Suid-Afrika beter in die buiteland te bemark en sy funksie van die registrasie van toergidse na die provinsies kan afwentel, behoort daar ook meer fondse beskikbaar te wees, en nie net in die aanvangstadium van Satoer se rojale begroting nie. Satoer behoort te kapitaliseer op wat reeds bereik is. Dit gaan nie net oor die besteding van geld nie, maar ook oor die beste aanwending van geld.
Ek kan vir agb lede 'n voorbeeld gee. In 1998 is die MTN Whale Route bekroon met British Airways se Tourism Destination for Tomorrow Award, wat 'n baie gesogte toekenning is. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mrs A M VERSVELD: Mr Chairperson, the DP is in favour of the devolution of power, and for that reason we shall support this legislation, because it means that tourism will be brought closer to the people and communities who were previously not part of this industry. In this way it will be possible for the cultural-history aspects of certain regions to be developed and utilised to the maximum.
However, we are worried about the fact that the function is being devolved without the necessary financing. I have listened to what the Minister has said, but I shall refer to this at the end of my speech. The question now arises as to what process is being followed to ensure that the provinces have the capacity - which also means financing - and the manpower to implement this legislation, which has good objectives.
The gap can only be bridged by means of a transitional facility which is implemented together with the legislation to assist the provinces. The financing, if any - I have been informed that Satour is going to make a contribution - is apparently being provided only in the initial stage, the excuse being that this is a money-generating function. However, this function is simultaneously also of a developmental nature as it is linked to the stimulation of economic growth, the development of skills and private enterprise and the involvement of the general community. In order to be able to develop one needs funds - as the saying goes, ``money makes money''. Since Satour can now perform its actual function of a better marketing South Africa more successfully abroad and can devolve its function of registering tour guides to the provinces, more funds should also be available, and not only in the initial stage of Satour's lavish budget. Satour ought to capitalise on what has already been achieved. What is at issue is not the spending of money, but the best utilisation of money.
I can give hon members an example. In 1998 the MTN Whale Route received British Airways' Tourism for Tomorrow Award, which is a very prestigious award.]
Whale watching is the fastest-growing ecotourism product in the world. In 1999, 7 million people went out on boat-based whale watching and 3 million on land-based whale watching.
Dit bring ons by 'n totaal van 10 miljoen mense. [This brings us to a total of 10 million people.]
We have the best land-based whale watching in the world at Hermanus. Satour has not risen to the occasion because nothing spectacular has happened, if we compare this award with the case of a little town named Kaikoura in New Zealand, which won this award two or three years ago. In this small town of indigenous Maori fishermen, their hotels have increased from none to four and their businesses have increased from three to thirty. Today this town is on an internationally recognised whale watching destination, thanks to the support of the New Zealand tourism authorities.
As dit daar gedoen kan word, kan Satoer dit ook hier vir ons doen met al die fondse wat hulle beskikbaar het.
Ten slotte wil ek net s dit is teleurstellend dat ons politici in die gekose komitee so min standpunt ingeneem het vir hulle provinsies, ook veral as ek luister na wat die Minister ges het, naamlik dat daar by al die provinsies die vrees was om hierdie wetgewing in werking te stel sonder die nodige fondse, want sover my kennis strek, is dit net die Wes-Kaap wat daarteen beswaar gemaak het. Die provinsies is tog sekerlik die rede waarom ons in die Nasionale Raad van Provinsies is, en ek wil die Minister versoek om asseblief weer te kyk na die finansiering van provinsies. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[If this can be done there, Satour can do the same for us here with all the funds they have at their disposal.
In conclusion, I just want to say is that it is disappointing that our politicians in the select committee did not make much of a stand for their provinces, especially in view of what the Minister has said, namely that all the provinces were afraid to implement this legislation without the necessary funds, because as far as I know, only the Western Cape objected to it. Surely the provinces are the reason why we are members of the National Council of Provinces, and I want to request the Minister please to take another look at the financing of provinces.]
Mr K PANDAY (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, the Tourism Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Tourism Act so as to introduce a radically redesigned tourist guiding system for South Africa. I will be speaking not on the technical nature of the Bill, but on the spirit of the Bill.
In the conclusion of the document outlining the tourist guiding policy, the following is stated, and I quote:
The Bill goes a long way in ensuring that tourism becomes a big industry that benefits all South Africans especially the previously excluded and disadvantaged people.
Tour guides, who are given prominence in the Bill, have to become professionally qualified with the knowledge of areas which have been neglected in the dark years of apartheid. The KwaZulu-Natal province wants to experience an unprecedented boom in the tourism industry. Having read an article in last weekend's Sunday Times, I am more than excited and I share the sentiment that KwaZulu-Natal has the potential of becoming a tourist Mecca. I could safely say that this also holds true for the rest of South Africa.
Tourism KZN is focusing its attention on the Emakhosini Valley near Ulundi, better known as the Valley of the Kings, described by the distinguished author and humanitarian Alan Paton as the most beautiful part of South Africa. It is in this area that the great King Shaka was born and it is here that his father, Senzangakhona, lies buried. Many other noteworthy Zulu leaders who contributed to the richness of the Zulu nation and its heritage, such as the amakhosi Zulu, lie buried in this valley. Since royalty is invariably a drawcard, publicity campaigns capitalise on this by working with the Zulu royal house and by using the slogan, ``Wozani - our Kingdom calls.'' Mr Robbie Naidoo, the corporate affairs manager of tourism in KZN, says, and I quote: ``Unfortunately, we have an image problem overseas. South Africa came out tops as a holiday destination.'' Mr Naidoo also mentions that we are totally out of depth with service delivery. In KZN the Service Excellence Campaign is being initiated, in which service providers are being asked to go the extra mile. The rest of South Africa should follow suit.
In South Africa we have a proud history, despite the workings of the monstrous government of the past, in that our cultures and traditions are steeped in richness, but this is not tapped to its optimum. We have a very lucrative challenge on our hands. Tourism contributes almost R7 billion to the KZN provincial budget each year and one foreign visitor creates eight jobs nationally. KwaZulu-Natal gets 30% of international tourists and 42% of the domestic market, so the potential for growth is immense.
The British used the Cape as a halfway house to India. Without any doubt I say KwaZulu-Natal offers a permanent house to all visitors from throughout the world. KwaZulu-Natal supports the Tourism Amendment Bill. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I commend the department for this piece of legislation, which will contribute to the development of an internationally competitive tourism industry in South Africa. The Minister has correctly said that there are provinces that had problems with this Bill because of its financial implications, and the North West is one of those provinces. Even if the Minister has allayed our fears, I would still like to voice them in this House, because I am still not satisfied. We have a lot of previously disadvantaged people whom we will have to train to see to it that this project becomes viable.
I hope that when the Minister says that those funds from Satour will be divided accordingly, he means it, or else we should be told or encouraged to see how we should access funds other than those from Satour that the Minister is referring to.
It is correctly said in this Bill that this function was run by Satour and is now being devolved to provinces, and we have this saying that funds should always follow functions. I am worried that the funds we will need will not be only for tourist guides, but also for the staff in the registrar's office. The Minister may be getting the staff from Satour, but where will we in the province be getting the staff from? We still have that doubt, and we are still not satisfied that this Bill will address this issue that is so close to our hearts.
We would like to promote tourist guides from our far-flung rural areas, because our people know everything about our rich history of the Anglo-Boer War, but because they are not trained as tourist guides they cannot explain it to the tourists properly. We want to take this seriously, but we need more funds for this to be successful. We support this Bill. [Applause.]
Chairperson, the province regards tourist guiding as a facet of tourism with a potential to contribute to greater community involvement and economic growth. We believe that tourist guiding has an ability to draw previously marginalised communities into the mainstream of the tourism industry. Devolving the tourist guide functions to provinces should not be viewed as a separate aspect, but should be integrated within broader economic and human resource development strategies. It is important for national Government to carefully examine practical and factual issues connected with the devolving of the tourist guiding functions.
The Western Cape strongly supports the main aim of the Bill, which is to redesign the tourist guide system in South Africa in order to develop opportunities to experience and promote pride in the cultural resources, histories and voices of the people of South Africa, and believes that this will result in the development of opportunities for all people to experience the wealth, assets and attractions of tourism. The Western Cape takes cognisance of the enabling element within the Bill, which is the most important aspect and which relates to broadening access to and entry into the tourism industry.
The Bill proposes that tourist guide functions be devolved to provinces. It calls for the provincial Minister responsible for tourism to designate an officer to act as provincial registrar of tourist guides. The officer concerned would be responsible for registering provincial guides, setting up standards and monitoring complaints. The status quo reflects that more than 40% of registered tourist guides are from the Western Cape, which is equal to 2 499 guides. To renew licences, an amount of R60 is paid annually. The current figures indicate that the province stands a chance of generating R149 940 per annum in undertaking the function.
Since the highest number of tourist guides are concentrated in the Western Cape, the province will have to appoint a provincial registrar and an administration officer to effectively undertake the function. The existing system which is currently used by Satour would be transferred to provinces and there would be a need to purchase new computer hardware to execute the function. Undertaking the function would mean additional administrative functions for the province, which might sometimes involve the handling of appeals.
Ons het ook bekommernisse. Die wetsontwerp maak nie voorsiening vir oorgangsmaatrels ten opsigte van die oordrag van die funksies na provinsies nie. Dit maak nie voorsiening vir die registrasie van seisoenale gidse nie, waarvan die meeste in die Wes-Kaap gebaseer is. Daar is tans geen duidelikheid oor die huidige kostes deur Satoer oorgedra aan die provinsies nie, en ek glo daarna sal gekyk moet word.
Die Wes-Kaap het ook 'n probleem met die afwenteling van die funksie, maar nie met die gepaardgaande oordrag van sodanige fondse nie. Dit is voorheen ook al hier genoem, en ek glo fondse moet die funksie volg wanneer dit afgewentel word. Die aangeleentheid was ook al, soos agb lede weet, in die Minmec ter sprake. 'n Voorstel gebaseer op bogenoemde is aan die departement gedoen om langtermynoplossings te ondersoek en provinsiale en mediumtermyn-bestedingsraamwerktoekennings aan te pas om moontlik die funksies te akkommodeer.
Die Wes-Kaap begryp die belang van toerismeleiding in die sektor. Die Wes- Kaap verwelkom die voorgestelde aanbevelings aangesien dit die provinsie in staat sal stel om 'n provinsiale toergidsontwikkelingsprogram te vestig om toergidse op te lei en te registreer in ooreenstemming met nasionale toergidsregulasies. Die Wes-Kaap glo dat die aangeleentheid ten opsigte van die fondse wel nog verder opgeklaar moet word. Dit moet gedoen word voordat die wetsontwerp goedgekeur word, en moet gekommunikeer word aan alle provinsies wat hierby 'n belang het. Ek wil afsluit deur namens die provinsie te s dit was lekker om die Minister weer hier in die Huis te sien. Ons weet as hy nog Minister vir Provinsiale en Plaaslike Regering was, sou die verkiesingsdatum teen hierdie tyd seker al klaar aangekondig gewees het! [Tussenwerpsels.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[We also have some concerns. The Bill does not make provision for interim measures with regard to the transfer of functions to provinces. It does not make provision for the registration of seasonal guides, most of whom are based in the Western Cape. There is no clarity at present about the current costs transferred by Satour to the provinces, and I believe that must be attended to.
The Western Cape also has a problem with the devolution of the function, but not with the accompanying transfer of such funds. This has been mentioned here before, and I believe that funds should follow the function once it has been devolved. As hon members know, this matter has already been discussed at Minmec. A proposal based on the above-mentioned has been made to the department to investigate long-term solutions and to adjust provincial and medium-term expenditure framework allocations to possibly accommodate the functions.
The Western Cape comprehends the importance of tourism leadership in the sector. The Western Cape welcomes the proposed recommendations since this will enable the province to establish a provincial tour guide development programme to train and register tour guides in accordance with national tour guide regulations. The Western Cape believes that the matter with regard to the funds does require further clarification. This should be done before the Bill is approved and must be communicated to all provinces having an interest in this matter.
I would like to conclude by saying, on behalf of the province, that it was good to see the hon the Minister here in the House again. We know that if he were still Minister for Provincial and Local Government, the election date would by this time already have been announced! [Interjections.]]
Mnr die Voorsitter, Minister Moosa en kollegas, die toerismebedryf is die belangrikste sleutel tot die ekonomiese en maatskaplike ontwikkeling van verskeie provinsies in Suid-Afrika. As die rol wat toerisme in die opheffing van Suid-Afrika kan speel nog nie tot ons deurgedring het nie, sal ons baie vinnig moet wakkerskrik. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Dr E A CONROY: Mr Chairperson, Minister Moosa and colleagues, the tourism industry is the most important key to the economic and social development of various provinces in South Africa. If the role that tourism can play in the upliftment of South Africa has not yet filtered through to us, we will have to wake up very quickly.]
It seems, however, that the South African tourism industry and its regulating bodies are very much aware of the actual and potential value that tourism has for this country, otherwise we would not have debated a very important piece of legislation today which is designed to regulate and control the tourist guiding system.
The Bill is designed to develop a socially, environmentally and culturally responsible tourism sector which, in turn, must contribute to the development of an internationally competitive tourism industry in South Africa. The end result of this Bill should and must be that tourist guides will be qualified, that they will have the necessary competence and that they will underwrite and comply with a code of conduct and ethics. The New NP therefore supports this Bill.
Daar is egter 'n ander faktor wat ook tot die aantreklikheid van ons toerismebedryf kan bydra of daaraan kan afbreuk doen. Dit is naamlik die netheid en skoonheid van die omgewing waarin die toeris hom bevind. Ek haal die volgende aan uit gister se briewekolom in 'n Afrikaanse dagblad:
Die afgelope 20 jaar is Kaapstad ons gunsteling vakansieplek. Dit was altyd 'n vreugde om deur die Tuine te stap, maar wat 'n teleurstelling vanjaar! Die pragtige wandellaan is vuil, vol papiere, plastieksakke en gemors. Die pragtige Tuine is oorgroei met onkruid en van blomme is daar skaars sprake. Op pad na ons hotel het 'n buitelandse toeristegroep ons tegemoet gestap. Die gids het vol entoesiasme die pragtige geboue uitgewys, maar ek kon die afkeer op een van die mense se gesigte sien toe hy na die verwaarlosing om hom staar, en ek het skaam gekry.
Ons moet besef dat 'n uiterste poging aangewend moet word en dat topprioriteitstatus daaraan geheg moet word om ons land en die omgewing skoon, netjies en aantreklik te hou, anders is ons net besig om 'n reeds bestaande bate te verwaarloos en te verinneweer. Kaapstad, Pretoria, Durban en Johannesburg hoef nie miljoene te bestee om nuwe toeriste-aantreklikhede te skep nie; hulle hoef slegs wat ons reeds in oorvloed het in stand te hou en vir die toeris aantreklik en aangenaam te maak. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Die Minister van Omgewingsake en Toerisme se planne om Suid-Afrika se sogenaamde nuwe nasionale blom, naamlik die plastieksak, met wortel en tak uit te roei kan daarom ook net met entoesiasme gesteun word. [Tussenwerpsels.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[However, there is another factor which could also either contribute to the appeal of our tourism industry or could be detrimental to it. This is the neatness and beauty of the environment in which the tourist finds himself. I quote the following from a letters column in an Afrikaans newspaper of yesterday:
Die afgelope 20 jaar is Kaapstad ons gunsteling vakansieplek. Dit was altyd 'n vreugde om deur die Tuine te stap, maar wat 'n teleurstelling vanjaar! Die pragtige wandellaan is vuil, vol papiere, plastieksakke en gemors. Die pragtige Tuine is oorgroei met onkruid en van blomme is daar skaars sprake. Op pad na ons hotel het 'n buitelandse toeristegroep ons tegemoet gestap. Die gids het vol entoesiasme die pragtige geboue uitgewys, maar ek kon die afkeer op een van die mense se gesigte sien toe hy na die verwaarlosing om hom staar, en ek het skaam gekry.
We have to realise that an extreme effort must be made, and that top priority status must be attached to keeping our country and environment clean, neat and attractive, otherwise we are only neglecting and ruining an already existing asset. Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban and Johannesburg do not have to spend millions to create new tourist attractions; they only have to maintain what we already have in abundance to make these places attractive and pleasant for the tourist. [Interjections.]
The plans of the hon the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to eradicate the new national flower, namely the plastic bag, can therefore be supported with enthusiasm. [Interjections.]]
Chairperson, the good thing you may do is a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less if that drop were missing. That is why when tourists visit any country they want to know and see places of interest, or places of national importance. They want to know the history of each and every place they are taken to.
This Bill creates a climate conducive to tourist guides being formally recognised by the Government. They are the people who are expected to market our country to tourists, people who are not going to distort the history of this country. As members are aware, people and rubber bands have one thing in common - they must be stretched to be effective. [Laughter.]
It is therefore imperative to have tourist guides who will effectively put our country on the map. We have had tourist guides before, some trained others not, some registered others not, some, regardless of their knowledge, capability, capacity and skill, not properly graded, whilst others were graded Why? It was simply because of the colour of their skin. As Government we are saying: If things go wrong, do not go with them. Hence, with this piece of legislation all criteria used to sideline or disadvantage tourist guides will cease to exist. If one does not want one's dream to come true, it is easy; one just has to oversleep. [Laughter.]
There will now be a National Registrar of Tourist Guides who will maintain a central database of all tourist guides. The National Registrar of Tourist Guides will also hear appeals lodged by tourist guides.
This Bill also establishes provincial registrars of tourist guides. These officials will register all tourist guides in their respective provinces and take all the necessary steps to ensure the smooth running of this industry. It is pleasing to know that companies or institutions which are involved in tourism will, from now on, be closely monitored.
There are some companies and institutions that deliberately do not want tourists to know the true facts about our country. They do not take tourists to places of national importance situated in rural areas and they rarely use tourist guides from disadvantaged communities. They use people who know very little about our country.
To give a practical example, we met tourists from Brussels who told us that when they first visited our country in 1990, they were told that the only thing they could learn about the Northern Province was witchcraft. The guides could not tell them about the Soutpansberg, where one gets natural salt. They could not tell them about TshipiseTsha Shagole in the far north, where one finds not only warm water, but natural hot water, from the fountain. Neither could they tell them about Maphukubje or the Chuene, nor the Debegeni Falls and many other places of interest. The only things the tourist guides could tell those tourists about the Northern Province was how people in that province excelled in witchcraft. [Laughter.]
Hence, as Government, we are saying that a team will outperform a group of dishonest individuals every time. Those same tourists were also told that the only things one could learn about some rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal were political violence and faction fighting. They could not tell them about the Isandlwana battlefields or about Kwadukuza, where Shaka's grave is. Life is not a dress rehearsal. It is not the sugar that makes the tea sweet, but the stirring. [Laughter.]
This industry will now be well co-ordinated, regulated, and monitored. Tourist guides will now be trained, registered and recognised for who they are. It will also be expected of them to adhere to the code of conduct drawn up by the National Registrar of Tourist Guides. If it is found that a particular tourist guide has violated any of the regulations in this Act, corrective measures or disciplinary action will be taken against him or her.
This will be done to protect the image and integrity of this country and to make sure that our tourists are well looked after and protected. It will now be an offence for anyone to act as a tourist guide if he or she is not registered.
I would like to thank the hon the Minister and his department for coming up with this excellent piece of legislation. I want to say to the hon the Minister that he is one of the few leaders who lead by example. No matter what the size of the bottle, the cream will always come to the top. [Laughter.] [Applause.] The hon the Minister is one of those wise leaders who inspires and motivates rather than intimidates and manipulates. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, members, the economy is often characterised as an engine, and I would like to characterise tourism as a motive force in that engine.
Economic statistics have it that tourism constitutes approximately 10% of the world's economy and about 6% of South Africa's. Some 66% of all foreign visitors stop over in Gauteng province. The value of this market is estimated at over R6 billion per year and the domestic tourism market further contributes approximately R30 billion per year.
If one returns to the characterisation of the engine and examines more closely the tourism component, one will see that currently the major part of this economic activity remains in the formal sector.
For instance, Gauteng achieved 51% of the country's share of tourism and leisure investment between 1994 and 1998 and 16% of the growth in hotel accommodation. This is all very wonderful and great for the economy at large. However, how does this affect our people? What is the impact on the poorest of the poor? What is the impact on the previously disadvantaged communities and individuals? Yes, the economy at large does have a trickle- down impact on these communities, but the Tourism Amendment Bill will have a direct impact on these individuals and communities.
To return again to the engine analogy, if the economy is the engine and tourism the motive force, then tourist guides are an indispensible cog in that engine, albeit a small cog with the ability to gear up the engine to stronger and stronger power. Bringing the regulation of tourist guides down to the provincial level allows a more hands-on transformation of the industry.
The Gauteng tourism authority has already appointed a registrar of tourist guides, in terms of our own legislation, who started work this month. Of course, we shall apply to the Minister now that we know that funds are available.
We will be able to control recruitment, training and marketing of tourist guides from previously disadvantaged areas. For instance, last week we launched a tourist route in Alexandra township, arguably one of the most disadvantaged areas in our province, particularly as it is found cheek by jowl with arguably one of the richest areas in our province, Sandton.
We also presented certificates to 12 newly qualified tourist guides in Alex. To take these 12 individuals as an example of what is possible, they are able to describe the microeconomy of Alex and Sandton and to show tourists a well-researched route which includes the house where former President Mandela lived when he first came to Johannesburg.
By bringing tourists into Alex, these SA tourist guides will encourage the spending of tourist dollars there. Already there are people opening restaurants and backpackers' venues and other people are working hard at developing crafts such as pottery and beadwork so as to encourage the same spending.
Obviously this has a direct economic benefit to the people of Alex. This in turn will have an effect on the morale of the residents, to such an extent that crime will decrease and pride will grow in their environment so that people will start to clean up the streets and the plastic bags and Alex will become a better place in which to live.
I am saying that not only does tourism gear up the economy, but this legislation, the Tourism Amendment Bill, will go a long way towards the social transformation of our country. We will move away from apartheid divisions, where blacks remain in their townships and whites stay in wealthy suburbs and never the twain shall meet.
The Tourism Amendment Bill will encourage internal tourism, in terms of which tour guides will take groups of people, whether they be groups of adults, groups of elderly people, church groups, social clubs, or scholars in groups from schools, and show them life on the other side of the line.
I would like to emphasise the nation-building potential of such exercises. People will come to understand the other side of life in South Africa, and contribute to a mutual understanding. Hence will come a reduction in the fear of one another, and from there will flow a willingness to work together for the betterment of all the people of the land.
Gauteng supports this Bill. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, special delegates and hon members of this Council, the Free State legislature has approved the proposed amendments which define both provincial and national registrars, as required by section 21(1) of Act 72 of 1993, as amended by section 1 of Act 105 of 1996. The province approves the registration of tourist guides nationally after competence for registration has been effected. The Bill recognises the awarding of certificates after a person's knowledge has been adequately assessed.
Even before the NP came into power in 1948, we had racial and sexist imbalances, which are now compensated for in this Bill, and potential is provided for growth and development for these individuals in terms of the objectives of the said Bill. The codes of conduct and ethics required for the efficiency of tourist guides will apply to all related to the task, as they seek to inform, guide and protect tourists in terms of accepted standards.
The tourist guide is also protected by the Bill, just as much as the tourist, should the Bill be contravened, be it by the tourist guide or the tourist. The tourist guide is free to seek an adviser's assistance when complaints are lodged against him or her or even when against the tourist.
We commend the Minister for tabling guidelines on how complaints need to be lodged and given attendance. The same goes for the reviews of appeals and disputes. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to secure a smooth execution of the tasks assigned to the mutual benefit of the tourist, the tourist guide and the stakeholders. This seeks to reduce the need for summary dismissals and seeks to retain cordial working relationships to enhance the tourist industry. It is recommended that women of all age groups be especially encouraged to be recruited to ensure that women can obtain equal opportunity of employment, operation and promotion, just as we seek to provide the ethnic balances displayed in our demographics.
We propose that special encouragement be given to intercity and interprovince ventures, and also to our neighbouring independent countries, rather than always looking overseas.
The Free State, therefore, recommends and approves this Bill as presented to hon members by the Minister. ``Haak, Vrystaat!'' [Go, Free State!] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, the tourism industry has always been one of the greatest assets of our country, more especially of KwaZulu-Natal. With the transformation of the industry, and the realisation of the immense tourism potential of previously neglected areas, tourism is set to play an even greater role in the economic development of our province.
For this reason it is imperative that any legislation dealing with tourism should ensure an adequate role for the provincial government and for local government. We, therefore, welcome the devolution of certain powers to the MEC for tourism in the provinces in terms of this Bill.
The powers given to the MEC will enable the provincial government to properly regulate the appointment and registration of tourist guides. These powers are very important, because tourist guides play an important role in the tourist industry. They are the ones who interact most closely with the tourist, and, in many cases, they determine the quality of assistance provided to both foreign and local tourists. If they treat tourists in an unsatisfactory manner this may reflect negatively on the province's tourism industry, and may prevent tourists from going to that particular province. The MEC will play an important role, because he or she will have a direct say in the preparation and publication of a code of conduct and in the ethics with which all registered tourist guides will have to comply.
There is one aspect of the Bill, though, that we think could have been elaborated upon more, that is, the role of local government in this process. Members are aware that in terms of the Constitution, local government also has a say in local tourism matters. The Bill does not specify any role for local government, and this may cause some problems in the implementation of the Bill later on. However, this is not an insurmountable problem, as the provincial tourism authorities have, as a matter of course, taken on board the views of local government in all tourism matters affecting the province.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal wishes to register its support for the Tourism Amendment Bill, because it will bring about much greater organisation to the tourism industry, and will ensure that the level of service provided to the tourist will compare favourably to international tourism standards. [Applause.]
Chairperson, may I, at the outset, thank all the members who participated in the debate for their valuable comments, generally, that have been made. Let me also express my gratitude to Rev Moatshe and his committee for the manner in which this Bill was processed, and for bringing to our attention some of the feelings of the provinces on this matter.
A number of speakers have spoken about matters that do not relate directly to the Bill. I will also then take the liberty of going with the flow and speaking about matters that have nothing to do with the Bill. However, I will come back to that in a moment.
I want to just reply to some of the matters that were raised. I think the hon Versveld is quite off the mark on the question of whale watching and the interests of Satour in this particular area. I think frankly that she is quite wrong.
One of the important steps that we have taken recently is to market ourselves in terms of wildlife not just as a Big Five destination, but as a Big Six destination, because South Africa is one of the few places in the world where you can engage in land-based whale-watching. Walker Bay and most of the Southern Cape, right up to the Eastern Cape, provide land-based whale-watching opportunities, which is quite unique.
That is one of the reasons why, if the hon Versveld had been in communication with members of her own party, she would have known that Mr Colin Eglin, a member of the National Assembly, has been rather active in promoting the declaration of a whale sanctuary in Walker Bay. This is something which I have taken up. We have jointly visited the area, etc. Maybe the hon Versveld is not in tune with all those developments and she was just speaking out of ignorance. So I should try not to be too harsh on her.
I think a number of speakers, including the hon Sebekedi, usefully raised the question of whether this was an unfunded mandate, and how provinces were going to deal with this particular matter.
Let me just say something on this matter. In the first place, one must understand that the kind of system we have, the kind of intergovernmental financial system regulated by the Constitution, really does not make it possible for me or for anybody to give an assurance to this House that over the years provinces will, somehow, get money from the fiscus for this sort of matter. It is not possible to do that kind of thing because, when Parliament allocates money to provinces, it does not say how provinces should use that money. Provinces adopt their own budgets in their provincial legislatures, and it is the right of the provincial legislature to do so. Nobody can take that right away.
Of course, one can say that among the factors that are taken into account, tourism development should be one. But one should remember that it is the Constitution that stipulates the criteria that the Financial and Fiscal Commission, the national Treasury and Parliament have to take into account when voting and deciding on the Budget as such. So it is not such an easy matter to simply give an assurance on and say this is what is going to happen.
The second point I would like to make is that it is not as though the national Government or anybody has, even now, been budgeting huge sums of money which it is now going to save and not use because the function is going to provinces. That is not the case. This has really been a very, very low-budget activity.
Nonetheless, I have said that perhaps provinces may incur some start-up costs, firstly, and that is something we should look at. It is not going to be easy, but I will, particularly as a result of this debate, personally engage in consultations with Satour to see how we can assist provinces with their start-up costs, because there will be some start-up costs before the revenue starts coming in through the registration of tour guides and such things. That may help to some extent.
The third point I would like to make is again one that the hon Sebekedi made, an important point about training. That is, who is going to pay for the training of tour guides? This is an important area. Now here the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority, which is a recognised statutory body as such, is the body responsible for training, and it is a national institution. It is responsible for training because it sets the standards and qualification and makes sure that there is proper career pathing for tour guides. The qualifications Act also comes into play here. That body has prioritised training in the tourism industry, not just tour guiding. The Business Trust has voted an amount of R80 million towards learnerships and training programmes to be administered by the Theta. Through the training levy, the Department of Labour has added R30 million to that. So there is an amount of R110 million, I think, if I am right - I am not always so sure of the figures, but the chief director is nodding - which will be used over three years for training in the tourism sector. This is a substantial amount of money. It is one of the most ambitious education and training and learnership programmes that we are going to be embarking upon.
We want to use a part of this amount in upgrading the skills of existing tour guides because, as the hon Mokoena said, some tour guides actually do not know what it is that they are going to talk about. Some people have been trained to say that there are four provinces in South Africa, the Cape of Good Hope and Transvaal and so on, those sorts of things. They read in the newspapers that there are now nine provinces, but they have not been trained with regard to why there are nine provinces, what the provinces are, that provinces have elected legislatures, how a premier gets elected, what the political parties are, etc. Even existing tour guides need some amount of refresher training, which we hope to provide, as well as training for new guides.
Again, the hon Mokoena has said that some people may know a lot about a certain area, but may not have a BA degree as such, and are able to tell one much more than anybody with a BA degree from Wits University would about a particular area, indigenous plants, uses of plants, and such things. Those people may only require some additional training to become registered tour guides because, already, the essence is there.
So those funds will be used, and I can tell hon members that they are substantial funds. We do not expect provinces to dip into their own budgets for that sort of training. So we will make sure that we follow that up and we will be committed to it. I will ask the department to look into and ensure that the Theta also covers the training of tour guides. I think that is what I could say in response here.
The hon Conroy has raised the question of litter, which, as hon members know, is a matter that continues to be of concern to me personally, and, I think, to all of us. It is a very serious problem. I was in Singapore last week on some official business. I do not know if the hon MEC Jomo Khasu knows about this matter, but if one takes chewing gum in one's bag into Singapore, one can get arrested. They do not allow the chewing of chewing gum because people stick the gum under the table and under the chair when nobody is looking. [Interjections.]
We do not want to be as harsh as that, but, certainly, I think that this is a matter we must attend to. Singapore is a very clean city, one does not see any cigarette butts, paper or anything in the street that messes it up. So it is possible to clean things up, even in our own country.
Let us take, for instance, Messina. Messina was one of the dirtiest towns in the whole country. Now it is one of the cleanest towns in the whole country. The mayor of the town personally took it upon himself and said that if there was one thing he was going to do, he was going to clean up that town. He has cleaned it up and has received recognition throughout the country for having cleaned up the town. The town is so important because large numbers of visitors come into the country through Beit Bridge and the first thing they saw was rubbish heaps. Now the mayor has cleaned up the town. If one takes a town such as Douglas in the Northern Cape, which is, again, a very small town, the people there had a huge gathering at a sports stadium where they decided that they were going to stop the use of plastic bags there. They did it on their own, they did not wait for legislation or anything.
If one goes to a shop in Douglas one will not get a plastic bag. The publicity association went to all the shopkeepers, asking for their co- operation. They went to schools to speak to schoolchildren about why plastic bags are bad, what that means, etc, so that everybody understood, through a process of education and in a real grass-roots way. So it is possible to do these sorts of things.
This is a matter that I raised with the Chief Whip of the NCOP, but perhaps I raised it too informally. Maybe I should formally request the NCOP to assist us with this antilitter work. I really think that the NCOP can help us. I am not sure how, but I think if hon members here think about it, I am sure this House will give valuable suggestions. The hon members say we should start here. The important question is: What is the waste management system in the parliamentary precincts? Does Parliament separate its waste? Does it send glass and paper, at least, for recycling, or does it just dump them there?
More importantly, I think we should involve the provinces and local governments, because without provinces and local governments we are not going to get anywhere. Hon members may want to organise a special debate or work out some sort of programme of action, but I would really urge them to assist us in this regard.
The hon Dr Conroy spoke about the plastic bag issue. We have now received comments on the draft regulations. The period for the comments is over and the department is now digesting all of the comments that have been received. Once we have considered all the comments we will finalise and publish the final regulations as such, and I hope to be able to do it by early next year.
It is not going to be easy, because there are people who, for their own selfish reasons, would want to oppose our prohibition on plastic bags, and they have said all sorts of things. Some of these people have said that a lot of people will lose their jobs, but hon members should know that these plastic bags, these throwaway carrier bags, are not really made in a labour- intensive process. They are made by machines, just by the tens of thousands, so it is not very labour-intensive.
If we do not use the plastic bags, then whatever other packaging we use will create more jobs. Already we have people who are sewing cloth bags, like here in the Cape where the Methodist women have come together and are now running a project. It is creating some employment for people and alternative sorts of jobs.
Then they have asked what about those people, particularly poor women, who are using the plastic bags to make artefacts, things like hats and mats. I think that is an easy problem to solve. All we need to do is supply plastic, probably in an easier way in the form of rolls of plastic. That is something that can be done for people to do that sort of thing. One does not need plastic bags. One needs to find a way of supplying the plastic, new clean plastic, to do that sort of thing, because in any case it is quite a hassle for people to be using plastic bags.
Some of the retail outlets, I have no doubt, will also try to oppose this sort of thing. However, I am pleased that although it is not a matter directly related to this Bill, hon members have used the opportunity to once again restate their support, and I think we need to do that kind of thing. One of the big retail outlets said to me that in terms of their customer base they are in direct contact with so many million people on an annual basis, so many million people go through their retail outlets throughout the country, and that they can speak to all these people about the disadvantages of prohibiting plastic bags, so lots of people are going to oppose me. So one can see the veiled sort of threat that comes in. However, I hope we will follow that up at some point in time.
We continue to develop new and more exciting tourism products, and let me just say to hon members here that in a few weeks' time we will be having what I think is called a coastal week - we have so many special weeks. It will be a very exciting week concerning the management of the coast. [Interjections.] It might be called maritime or marine week. Part of what we are going to be doing is cleaning up areas of the coast, which also happened during the cleanup week that we had. However, during that week we will also be launching a very exciting tourism product, because we have looked at one of the competitive advantages that we have in tourism, for us to enjoy and for the world to enjoy, namely the various hiking trails that we have around the country. We have also looked at how other countries market their hiking trails.
We have a 3 000 km coastline and we will be launching, during that week, in a few weeks' time, a hiking trail that starts at Kosi Bay and ends at the Orange River mouth, covering the 3 000 km coastline. It will be quite a unique hiking trail worldwide as it passes two oceans, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, taking one through very diverse ecological areas throughout its length. We already have a team of volunteers who will start off by hiking that entire trail. It is not the sort of thing which everybody would do, but I know people like my chairperson of the select committee, Rev Moatshe, who is a keen hiker. I am sure that pretty soon he will take the initiative of leading a team of prominent citizens on that particular hike. Once again, thank you very much for the debate. [Applause.]
Order! Thank you, hon Minister. Maybe, with your permission, I should just call three or four people to order who were chewing Chappies in this Chamber, so that we start from here and implement this immediately. [Laughter.] I saw them. [Interjections.] Name them? No, I will pardon them for today.
Debate concluded.
Bill agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.