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Tuesday, 29 October 2013] 4847The Portfolio Committee on Tourism fulfils its mandate by dischargingits oversight role over the National Department of Tourism and SouthAfrican Tourism which is its marketing entity. The Committee conductsoversight visits and hold public hearings to ensure public participationand corporative governance as enshrined in the Constitution. TheCommittee processes legislation, and in the period under review aTourism Bill that repeals the Tourism Act of 1993 was processed aspart of its legislative mandate.1.2 Core functions of the Department.This section provides the legislative and policy framework that governthe Department of Tourism and South African Tourism.1.2.1 Constitutional and Legislative MandatePart A of Schedule 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of SouthAfrica, 1996, lists tourism as a functional area of concurrent nationaland provincial legislative competence. The Tourism Act, 1993 (Act No72 of 1993) as amended, also makes provision for the promotion oftourism to and in the Republic and for further regulation andrationalisation of the tourism industry; measures aimed at themaintenance and enhancement of the standards of facilities andservices hired out or made available to tourists; and the co-ordinationand rationalisation, as far as practicable, of activities of persons whoare involved in the tourism industry.Whilst the government has prioritised tourism and the Department isdoing everything to ensure tourism growth, the provincial and localspheres of government have not fully embraced this economic sectoras part of their mandate. At a local government level tourism generallycompetes with other service delivery needs and always gets littlebudget or is not budgeted for at all. In this sphere of governmenttourism is seen as an unfunded mandate and thus neglected. This iscontrary to the tourism mandate enshrined in the constitution and allspheres of government should take tourism seriously.Tourism, in the main, happens at a local level. The abdication of theconstitutional mandate by the local government undermines theimportance bestowed on tourism by the state as the sector is classifiedas one of the six priority economic sectors in the New Growth Path.1.2.2 Policy mandateThe main founding policy document for the Department is the WhitePaper on Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africawhich sets out broad principles on which tourism mandate isdischarged. The White Paper provides framework and guidelines fortourism development and promotion in South Africa.ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS NO 147─2013