By Deidré Baartman, MPP
DA Western Cape spokesperson Finance, Economic Development, and Tourism
Tourism is a key industry in the Western Cape and will need the support of all sectors to fully recover – particularly tourism and hospitality businesses in rural and small towns.
The province’s seasonal tourism statistics for the past financial year indicate that the sector is slowly recovering after being battered by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures.
This was revealed during a briefing by the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) and Wesgro to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. While there was only a 19% recovery rate of international travelers in December 2020, the domestic market is leading the way. Over the Easter weekend, the domestic terminal at Cape Town International Airport welcomed 61 099 passengers, which is a 65% increase in comparison to the 2019 Easter weekend.
DEDAT has indicated that later this year, they will engaging with local and regional tourism officials through workshops about transformative travel, equipping them to promote towns to the international market. Our Standing Committee will invite the Skills Education and Training Authorities (SETA) to brief us on their work to support the tourism sector in the province.
In fact, the ‘Kids Stay Free’ domestic tourism campaign by the Department generated nearly 2,800 bookings and more than R9 million in sales between November 2020 and January 2021. This is despite stricter lockdown regulations which came into effect in December. Bookings through the site increased from 26 parents with children in 2019 to 243 for 2020, positioning the Western Cape as an affordable, family-friendly destination. The Easter weekend saw more than 6,800 flights worth R19.1 million and 525 accommodation bookings made to the total amount of R1.7 million.
The provincial government is working harder than ever before to revive our tourism industry and offer a lifeline to entrepreneurs. An additional two key measures of support include:
- A Remote Working Visa
The Western Cape Government has written to the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, and the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, requesting the urgent introduction of a visa allowing for extended visits by international travelers. This stands to create and protect jobs in the sector. Furthermore, a Digital Nomad Campaign has been launched in partnership with Airbnb to promote the Western Cape as a prime remote working destination. A website is in its final stages of development which will assist international travelers with all logistical requirements.
- Tour Guide support
In support of tour guides, in September 2020, an online registration system was launched by DEDAT making it easier to apply, process and store applications, while still welcoming manual submissions. The online platform allow tour guides to register, renew, upgrade or replace their identity cards. Importantly, a payment system will be launched later this year for those individuals who cannot provide EFT payments or pay on site. Applicants are welcome to visithttps://westerncapegov–tst1.custhelp.com/ to register.
Picture: Unsplash
