Hon Chairperson, House Chair and hon members, tourism remains one sector with a potential to unite the country and the world. An outreach to educate citizens about the importance of safety and Brand South Africa remain critical. South Africa is competing with other countries in the global market share of international arrivals. It is concerning though that the work done
on the brand tracking revealed a constant decline in the positive brand image of the country.
Findings from the South African Tourism's Brand Tracker for 2017 showed that 17% of tourist were doubtful of coming to the country due to safety concerns. But it is not only about that, colleague. It is about how patriotic we are about our country. Some of us talk bad about this country and yet we expect tourists to come to South Africa and we expect investors to come to this country. We have to be responsible. The brand of a country plays a crucial role in the choices made by tourists to visit a particular destination.
The recent crime incidents against tourists coupled with the perceived xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, violence against women and children and service delivery protests have a potential to tarnish the brand of the country. We must do something. We can't bury our heads in the sand and pretend that safety is not an issue when in fact it poses a huge threat to tourism growth. We need to do something about it. The continued negative narrative in terms of bad reporting compromises both the safety and Brand South Africa. The President of the country has committed government and private sector to a bold and ambitious target of doubling tourism figures from 10,5 million $2018 to 21 million by 2030. We can only achieve this
if we all work together for a common goal. Let's all make South Africa a safe destination for tourist and brand the image of country.
The Springbok has shown us that united we stand, divided we fail "sam trek sam werk" [Pull together, work together]. The ANC supports the report. I thank you.
Debate concluded.