Chair, hon Minister, you have, during other interactions, expressed concerns that the alignment of budgets is not geared for tourism and that the allocations for tourism are minute compared to the revenue that tourism contributes to the fiscus, with tourism contributing more to the fiscus than mining, and that money spent on tourism does not necessarily find its way back into tourism. The reservations the ACDP has concerning the budget relate to these concerns.
This newly created department, we are told, has not received the full allocations it requested, and some posts could, therefore, not be filled. What impact will this have on the department's ability to deliver on its priorities?
The fragmentary nature of tourism within government that you alluded to, hon Minister, will need focused attention. Has a sufficiently large budget been allocated to streamline and establish an integrated strategy to cut down on duplication and reduce skills and rand wastage?
The ACDP commends the department on the Tourism Service Excellence Initiative, which targets a national behaviour change needed to achieve service excellence. Being attentive to visitors' needs and adopting a make- it-right attitude are fundamental principles.
The Tourism Growth Programme, which is responsible for the promotion of growth, competitiveness and quality of the tourism sector, received the highest allocation from the department's budget. This will hopefully result in service excellence in the industry, responsible tourism and human capital development.
The ACDP notes, however, the repeated concerns regarding a lack of access to information in rural areas and the need for focused radio marketing to reach rural areas with behaviour-change requirements. The setting up of locally owned tourist businesses should also be encouraged. Have these concerns been taken into consideration in this budget?
The ACDP agrees that the spread of tourism to include small-town and rural tourism as priority sectors in the growth of tourism is very important. It will increase investment in the development of rural tourism products and increase participation, ownership and management by locals in poorer communities. A review of existing legislation that has been suggested to ensure the support of local government in relation to effective tourism planning and the development and improvement of public and private infrastructure in this sector is possibly necessary.
World Cup-related entrepreneurial activity is rated to be significantly below the average at present. In the hospitality industry, there are still a number of challenges, including the unrealistic licence fees for many local entrepreneurs due to Match, the zealous protection rights imposed by Fifa.
Whilst government was aware of these restrictions prior to seeking and hosting the World Cup, there is now a discrepancy between the hype-aroused entrepreneurial aspirations of the nation, the restricted economic activity, and the expected local profit emanating from the World Cup. We hope South Africans will rise above any despondency and reap their just rewards in this regard.
I was reminded just now - and perhaps, hon Minister, you could comment - on how much the department has focused on health and disability tourism. Have we done that to our best advantage? We will be supporting this budget. Thank you. [Time expired.]