Debate on tourism: don’t forget the little guy!

The importance of tourism in developing South Africa was brought to the forefront in a pre-election panel discussion.  

On April 18, 2024, ‘Johannesburg In Your Pocket’, a media company offering tourist’s guides to Johannesburg, hosted an online multi-party panel for parties to debate tourism policies ahead of the elections on May 29, 2024. 

The discussion centred around the theme of how tourism can be used to save South Africa, with representatives from the EFF, DA, PA, Action SA, and Rise Mzansi using the time to elaborate on how they plan to develop the sector.   

Editor of ‘Johannesburg In Your Pocket’, Laurice Taitz-Buntman kicked off proceedings with a declarative statement on the importance of the sector, “tourism is a gift to South Africa. We have (rich) urban and rural offerings.” She then highlighted the ability of the industry to offer skill development and create jobs in a country plagued by unemployment. 

Representatives from the different parties were then given two minutes each to motivate their party’s tourism policies. 

A bried summary of what was said by each representative on their parties tourism policy.

While representatives spoke largely of the need to address structural issues deterring tourists from visiting South Africa- such as the high crime rate, or Afrophobia which deters African tourists from visiting South Africa – there was a noticeable lack of focus on positives that can be utilised to enhance the tourism sector.  Taitz-Buntman pointed this out: “We look at big problems to fix, (but) not assets we can promote”.  

This is certainly the case for Ayanda Myandu, founder of the NGO ‘City Skate Tours’ which offers tours through the streets of Johannesburg, exposing tourists to its rich and diverse culture. In addressing the representative of the PA, Charles Cilliers, Myandu said “it’s tough for entrepreneurs to access funding… so how can you ensure grassroot organisations get funding?” 

The panel then concluded with Myandu asking a series of further questions to each of the different representatives. These questions highlighted the struggles faced by NGOs in the tourism industry and begged the question of how parties plan to assist and uplift them. Questioning Mandla Isaacs from Rise Mzansi, Myandu spoke of his NGO’s struggles to access data that can be leveraged to develop tourism (such as tourists spending patterns).  

So, beyond providing an opportunity for parties to motivate their tourism policies, the panel highlighted blind spots in these political policies by exposing the struggles of those on the ground level in the tourism industry.