National Tourism Sector Strategy - Department of Tourism

messagedeputy MINISTER OFTOURISMThokozile Xasa, MPDeputy Minister of Tourism,South AfricaDuring 2010, the shape of the global economy and theSouth African political landscape altered dramatically.Itwas during this period that the newly established NationalDepartment of Tourism saw its first year of operation. In abold move to promote accelerated growth of the tourismsector, the National Department of Tourism (NDT) initiated aconsultative process to develop a focused National TourismSector Strategy, following the sector’s structural positioningwithin the public domain and in Cabinet. The strategy wasdeveloped, taking into account previous interventions,achievements and challenges and sets out the choices thathave been made based on the understanding of the sectorand national priorities.The document put before you is distinct from many others inthat it does grapple with issues of wealth, jobs, ownership,community beneficiation, transformation, rural tourismdevelopment, stimulating domestic tourism, accelerated jobcreation and creating a better society where all have an equalchance of success. The NTSS does not only assume thatan increase in tourist’s arrivals will ensure that the benefitsof tourism will eventually be spread across our communities.The document goes further to outline practical mechanismsto address the issue of beneficiation.In the immediate and long term, there is a need to deal with thereality that the sector remains largely untransformed in respectof a range of broad-based black economic empowermentfactors, including ownership and management.Our success and that of the sector will be determined byhow the strategy will assist in responding to the need fortransformation in the tourism sector. The tourism sectorhas much to gain from transforming itself and the benefitsof this transformation are also able to be spread across thecountry. The drive towards increasing economic participation,especially by the historically marginalized, as evident in thedocument is highly courageous. More encouraging is thefact that the document sets bold new benchmarks for thesector through the unprecedented focus on the facilitationof support for rural tourism development, small medium andmacro-enterprises (SMME’s) access to markets and funding.There is in particular, also a need to engage communitiesin the tourism sector. Community engagement is crucial tothe success of a tourism destination. If local communitiesunderstand the benefits of tourism, and believe they have arole to play in it, the destination will flourish. All governmentefforts and that of sectors should be directed at changingthe lives of communities, which is provided for in the strategydocument.iv