More needs to be done to promote tourism, says DA

The Democratic Alliance has said that more needs to be done to promote tourism in South Africa, according to a report by News24.com

Speaking in the National Assembly during a debate on the tourism budget vote, DA spokesman, Stuart Farrow, highlighted the tourism industry’s importance and its important role in job creation.

“Every 16 tourists could create a job - and if we can reach that magic projection of 11 million tourists, this could realise approximately 687 000 jobs - and if tourists could be enticed to stay a bit longer and spend more money, then we might be closer to the international average of 11 to 12 tourists per job."

He said people visited South Africa for a number of reasons and for too long South Africa had relied solely on arrivals at airports and border posts to determine statistics. “A simple tick-the-box type arrival card at each point of arrival could easily determine the reason for the visit, be it holiday, family, business, or other.”

Farrow said a number of tourist safety issues also needed to be addressed. “If tourists travel by bus or car, roads should be safe and free of potholes. They should also not be unnecessarily harassed by overzealous traffic cops who do not understand the licensing conditions of tourist operators and hire car permits. Equally, if the SA Police Service can’t keep our tourists safe, then they just won’t come here."