Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom has appointed a team of experts to recommend improvements to the collection and analysis of key tourism statistics.
This will enhance decision-making, including planning for growth in the tourism sector.
“Tourism has great potential to improve its current direct and indirect contribution of 9% to our GDP, and to employ even more people in addition to the 1,4 million already working throughout the value chain,” says Minister Hanekom.
“Growth in tourism requires careful, collaborative planning with a wide range of stakeholders in industry and in our communities. Our development strategies must be based on a thorough analysis of relevant data, so that interventions can be made timeously and effectively, and the effects can be measured and monitored.”
Some sources of tourism data and market intelligence are already in place in South Africa, but significant enhancements are required to improve the extent of data and information available, its depth, reliability, consistency, regularity and timing.
Members of the expert team include Ms Kate Rivett-Carnac, Special Advisor to the Minister as Chairperson; Ms Lee-Anne Bac, a Director of Grant Thornton, who is on the team in her personal capacity; and Professor Chris Malikane, an economist at Wits University, also serving in his personal capacity.
The Ministerial team will prepare a report of its recommendations within four months of its inception to highlight the current situation and identify immediate priority areas and opportunities for improvements.
“The team of experts will play a critical role in informing how we go about developing tourism in South Africa,” says Minister Hanekom.
“Our international tourist arrivals in the first half of this year have improved by a massive 15% over the same period last year. We are also putting effort and resources into developing the domestic tourism market, and getting more South Africans to experience our wonderful country.
“We want to make the best of every opportunity for growth as we transform the sector to be more inclusive of all our people. We must plan wisely, and our plans must be based on the expert analysis of sound data.”
The Ministerial team will be supported by a Secretariat in the Department of Tourism, and can be contacted through Ms Crystal Munthree at
cmunthree@tourism.gov.za, telephone 012 444 6370, or cell 076 923 0412.