Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism has adopted its Budget Vote 38 report while raising concerns about governance, outdated strategies and lack of measurable impact in the Department of Tourism and SA Tourism’s plans.
The committee found shortcomings in the department’s 2025-2030 strategic plans and 2026/27 annual performance plans, recommending that Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille submit addendums addressing sector recovery, governance, transformation and geographic spread.
The committee stated that several tourism strategies, including the National Heritage and Cultural Tourism Strategy 2013, Rural Tourism Strategy 2012 and Climate Change Plan 2010, have not been listed for review despite scheduled review periods having elapsed.
It also highlighted governance and accountability concerns at SA Tourism, particularly after the entity received a qualified audit with material irregularity. The committee noted the absence of the SA Tourism Board during a recent annual performance plan presentation and called for the appointment of a permanent Board.
Budget Vote 38 amounts to R2.54 billion (US$155.6 million) with R1.278 billion (US$78.3 million) allocated to SA Tourism. The committee said the allocation remains inadequate given tourism’s contribution of around 10% to GDP.
Additional concerns include lack of clarity about the Tourism Amendment Bill, limited mechanisms to improve audit outcomes and reliance on short-term Expanded Public Works Programme jobs without tracking permanent employment outcomes.
Wider concerns
The committee further noted that communities in villages, townships and small towns are not adequately included in tourism initiatives. It said safety interventions and tourism monitor deployments remain concentrated at mainstream tourism sites.
The committee also warned that false international narratives, including claims of “white genocide”, could damage South Africa’s tourism sector, adding that there is no clear campaign to counter such narratives.
Other concerns include the absence of resilience strategies for off-peak tourism and geopolitical shocks, lack of campaign conversion metrics linked to bookings or spend and infrastructure project delays, cost overruns and Development Bank of Southern Africa performance issues.
The committee recommended that the minister should engage with National Treasury to increase tourism funding, table the Tourism Amendment Bill during 2026/27, strengthen oversight of SA Tourism and publish the Tourism Transformation Fund beneficiaries list.
It also called for stronger reporting mechanisms, including a tourism route development marketing dashboard and quarterly Tourism Growth Partnership Plan updates while urging greater focus on tourism development in villages, townships and small towns.
