Most of the country’s tourist attractions are unaffordable and authorities in the public and private sectors must work towards reducing prices for local travellers, tourism minister Patricia de Lille said on Thursday.
Some of SA’s favourite tourist destinations, such as its national parks, are boasting high occupancy levels after the lifting of pandemic-related lockdowns, but the prices of travel and accommodation to these and many other destinations remain out of reach for most local visitors.
In 2022, tourism contributed 3.7% to GDP, and has been identified by the government as a key area for growth to alleviate unemployment and reinvigorate the economy. However, the sector’s recovery has been stifled by a low uptake in domestic travel as South Africans battle to make ends meet in the current tough economic climate.
SA has among the world's highest levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment in addition to an all but stagnant economy.
Besides the pandemic, high unemployment and high costs, the sector hasn’t been spared persistent load-shedding.
De Lille said that in the next bid window for renewable energy the tourism industry would be offered an opportunity for the installation of solar infrastructure.
She said safety officers were being trained and would be deployed to 59 “hot spots” around the country to ensure tourists safety.
“I am working closely with the private sector, including tour operators, in the three months I have been in office to assure the industry that government is committed to doing everything possible to drive local tourism,” de Lille said.
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With a little development and a lot of marketing, SA could boast many more world-class tourism destinations, she added.
Tourism and the natural value chain it creates is seen as a sunrise industry that can easily absorb unskilled labour and provide an income for local committees.
“The hope we are looking for in tourism is going to come from local tourism. I want to encourage SANParks and the private sector to make tourism more affordable for South Africans,” de Lille said.
“We just need to get the private sector to get involved in our own country,” she said at the opening of the Twee Rivieren Interpretative Centre in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape.
SANParks defended its rates, saying some of its destinations had already implemented different pricing for local and international tourists. It had also introduced big discounts — as much as 50% in some instances — as part of its marketing activities.
“I think we can improve on that. It is a possibility we can explore. But asking those that offer private accommodation within our national parks may be difficult though as we have already put numerous conditions in terms of existing operating licences,” SANParks’ managing executive Property Mokoena said.
De Lille also called for more private sector investment in the industry, saying it is one of the solutions to SA’s rampant unemployment.
“The majority of South Africans are unskilled or semi-skilled, [and] the tourism industry has the potential to change that. There are hidden gems all over SA that can become world-class tourism destinations,” she said.
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