TBCSA Tourism Business
|
Pretoria, Monday 26 May 2014: The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) welcomes the appointment of Derek Hanekom as the new Minister of Tourism. Mr. Hanekom will be taking over the portfolio from Marthinus van Schalkwyk who had established a good working relationship with the local travel and tourism trade. “We thank our previous Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, for his contribution towards growing our tourism economy and making tourism a key contributor to our GDP, and we wish him well in his future endeavours” says TBCSA CEO, Mmatsatsi Ramawela. The Board Chairman of the TBCSA, Mavuso Msimang added that the appointment of Hanekom was a positive move, which was welcomed by the travel and tourism private sector. “Derek Hanekom is a ‘salt of the earth’ type of leader who brings into the portfolio considerable administrative experience. He served in the Mandela administration as Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs. He went on to take charge of Science and Technology where he is credited with driving South Africa’s successful bid for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. CEO of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), David Frost remembers working well with Hanekom in driving change in the agriculture sector: “He is a good guy and a hard-working Minister. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty” Frost recalls. The TBCSA also commends President Zuma on the appointment of ministers in key areas of Transport, Public Enterprises and the establishment of a new ministry for small business development. “We congratulate the new Minister of Tourism and specifically welcome the establishment of a dedicated Ministry for Small Business Development”, says Eddy Khosa, National Chairman for the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA). Khosa believes the new ministry will play a critical role in accelerating support for SMMEs and closing the gap which currently exists in stimulating SMME growth. Key member associations of the TBCSA including the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA), the Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (BARSA), SATSA and the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) have all welcomed the retention of Dipuo Peters as Minister of Transport, citing the importance of continuity in addressing issues such as vehicle licensing, road conditions in the country and other transport-related matters which are intimately linked to the delivery of a great tourism experience. In conclusion, the TBCSA reiterates the private sector’s commitment to working with government and providing the necessary support for Minister Hanekom as he settles into his new portfolio. For further information please contact: Editor’s Notes Sector associations affiliated to the TBCSA are as follows:
TSI – Tourism Safety Initiative Dear Member We are in the process of compilling a survey of safety in the travel and tourism industry. We would like to hear from you to get a better understanding of the circumstances at your level and how crime effects your Travel and Tourism business. Please take some time to fill in this questionnaire. With your contribution, there can be more activity in predicting and preventing crime in our industry. CLICK here to fill in the questionnaire.
TSI – Tourism Safety Initiative Dear Member We are in the process of compilling a survey of safety in the travel and tourism industry. We would like to hear from you to get a better understanding of the circumstances at your level and how crime effects your Travel and Tourism business. Please take some time to fill in this questionnaire. With your contribution, there can be more activity in predicting and preventing crime in our industry. CLICK here to fill in the questionnaire.
Hi Wendy It was indeed lovely meeting with you at your beautiful offices last month. As per our discussion, we have been receiving a lot of enquiries from restaurants and catering companies to collect the tourism levies. We would like to include Restaurants and catering companies into the TOMSA system but need guidance from RASA as a home for restaurants in South Africa. May I ask you to send me a proposal on how we can include restaurants and catering companies to collect the TOMSA levy. I would like to send the proposal to the TOMSA board by the end of February or Mid March. I look forward to your response. Hi B Thank you for meeting with me and for the constructive conversation that has taken place. As discussed RASA is committed to supporting TBCSA in assisting the hospitality sector in making progress and in specific any and all initiatives involving restaurants. We are a small staff structure and can not always attend all the meetings but we will definitely support the meetings that have a direct impact on the upliftment of restaurants. We are eager to make a mark for our restaurants and look up to you at the TBCSA for insight and guidance to finding areas of opportunity that can serve and benefit our industry. As discussed RASA would love to support the TOMSA LEVY project however the restaurants are reluctant to pay any more levies, the restaurants feel overwhelmed by the amount of statutory and compulsory subscriptions levied to them and the consistent rising costs of those. The margins are extremely thin in restaurants and the profitability has diminished severely. Another levy will cripple restaurants. The recession landlords and the increased cost of utilities have led to hundreds of casualties in our industry. RASA can pay over a nominal amount of R20 a restaurant registered with us to help support the programme. I trust this can work for you ? I look forward to hearing from you and hope you will have a wonderful week. Warm Regards Wendy
Reflecting on the President’s State of the Nation Address, Chief Executive of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), Ms. Mmatšatši Ramawela said business appreciated Government’s commendation and hoped that this will translate into the implementation of interventions to assist the industry to safeguard and capitalise on this growth in the medium to long-term. Ramawela concurred with the President’s mention of the industry’s potential to generate employment opportunities but stressed the need for support to assist business to retain current jobs as well. She said: “We trust that this commendation will send a strong message to other relevant structures and Government departments beyond the National Department of Tourism, to support the industry in making contribution to the economy. In short, we hope that this will generate increased interest in providing the necessary support and incentives to stimulate further industry growth”. Zelda Coetzee, National Chairperson of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) said: “I am pleased that the President recognised the potential of tourism as a job creator. However, it is time that the value of business events is recognised at the highest level. For instance, during this Presidency, we hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup, COP 17 and a host of other major events which helped build our reputation as an events destination thus drawing more people and revenue into South Africa. Capitalising on this should be a major focus for Government and as such, the National Convention Bureau should be allocated additional resources for this purpose.” Similar to business in other sectors, operators in travel and tourism are under immense pressure to keep cost low and stimulate demand. Despite reporting positive results in the last quarter of 2013, the Tourism Business Index cited a number of factors impeding trade across the travel and tourism value chain. These factors include the ever-increasing cost of inputs, the rising cost of labour and insufficient demand by international travellers especially in South Africa’s key source markets. In addition, the rising cost of living in the country is set to make leisure and business travel even more expensive for the domestic market. In conclusion, Ramawela said: “There is no doubt that the current economic climate is weighing heavily on business. More work will be required by both government and the private sector to grow the South African economy in the coming months. As business, we eagerly wait to hear more about what the President meant when he said ‘‘we will continue to grow the industry given its potential for job creation”.
For further information please contact: Editor’s Notes TBCSA Sector associations affiliated to the TBCSA are as follows:
TBCSA Magazine
|