Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, stakeholders of the Department of Tourism, ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends, the department carried out a revamp of the three programmes and it is important to highlight that such a task cannot be undertaken lightly. However, the department needs to catch up with global trends, and we remain hopeful that this structure is seeking to achieve exactly that.
I would also like to congratulate the department on the new National Tourism Sector Strategy, NTSS, which was approved by Cabinet in 2011, and the draft Tourism Bill, which has been published for public comment. These policies were supported by the industry, given that their sole purpose was to address growth and development in South Africa's tourism sector.
As we know, tourism is a cross-cutting sector, requiring the support of other government departments and the different spheres of government to be successful. It is therefore important that intergovernmental relations are nurtured. For this reason we commend the department for identifying some municipalities for the implementation of a pilot NTSS and the training of their officials.
South Africa still has a lot to offer. However, for tourists to realise that requires that the packaging of our products be done in a way that, is directed by the demand of our target markets. For this reason we need to do thorough research into our target markets and competitors. This will give South Africa the competitive edge we had prior to the 2008 global economic crisis. As a department, we would also like to express our delight with the plus- minus 9% increase in the number of German tourists, as was stated in the research. A number of factors resulted in this increase, including direct flights to South Africa offered by SAA and Lufthansa, as well as the airlift capacity of other indirect flights having increased by 10%.
We should not leave it to chance to resolve issues regarding our country's airlift strategy and rising landing costs, which has caused tourists to fly to Mozambique rather than to O R Tambo International Airport. We acknowledge that the Ministry is working towards luring tourists visiting Mozambique to extend their visits by coming to South Africa. However, at the same time we should not lose what we have, but rather gain more. This is where intergovernmental relations become crucial.
I would also like to commend the department for its role in resolving the issue of jet fuel, which was set to result in a national crisis, not only for tourism but for trade relations and business investments. We hope that the department will continue to contribute positively towards the growth of our beautiful country, South Africa.
With our country facing a number of challenges regarding air travel, it would be interesting for niche products such as cruise tourism to be developed further. A report on cruise tourism has been compiled and it would be interesting if the department worked towards ensuring the development of this product. As we have said, South Africa has a lot to offer and, given the number of ports along our coast, this product has great potential to prosper and bring tourists on board. That could greatly assist us in achieving our 2020 target of 15 million visitors and unlock tourism's contribution to job creation.
The department has indeed improved significantly on the last year. However, the audit report has raised a number of concerns regarding the Expanded Public Works Programme. The steps taken to remedy the situation have been commendable. We also believe that the upcoming annual report will prove that the department's internal control systems have improved.
Inasmuch as the department has shown notable progress administratively, it has budgeted about R29 million for consultants. This is a point where it still needs to improve. However, we acknowledge that compared to previous years the spending on consultants has improved. We believe the department will heed the call to reduce spending on consultants and instead channel resources into hiring the expertise required in the various fields. If relevant people are hired for these posts, the progress of the department will improve drastically.
The department has also made notable progress in the implementation of the Performance Management and Development System. Furthermore, the control system in the department seems to have recovered following the doubt that was cast by the distribution of funds in regard to the EPWP. It is for this reason that I propose that we support the budget of the Department of Tourism and believe that the department will continue to follow government policies and procedures, especially the Public Finance Management Act and Treasury regulations. [Applause.]