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.]