SA Tourism needs a CEO who is clued up on the sector
The body is being run by people who think all tourists are from neocolonial countries
The thesis of “tourism attraction” has always been used on developing countries as a strategy by Western countries to maintain neocolonial relations by sucking out the little funds they have left.
Many studies have been published by Euro-American institutions on how SA would benefit from hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Tourism was used as a smokescreens to persuade SA government to see value in the initiative.
The envisaged benefits never materialised.
SA remains one of the most unequal societies in the world and we have empty billion-rand stadiums, white elephants.
African leaders, when they engage with tourism hysteria, don’t work with evidence but information drawn from their perceptions. In their minds, tourists are white people from Europe or America.
But evidence shows the majority of people who come in and out of SA – who spend money engaging directly with small businesses owned by ordinary people on the streets – are people who come from the African continent.
A World Bank Tourism Report published in 2022 showed that most arrivals in SA before and after the Covid pandemic came from the African continent, followed by Europe and America.
In fact, all African countries are visited by other Africans more than
Europeans or Americans.
Another misplaced perception African leaders have is that “tourism” as a concept is about attracting “tourists”. In fact tourism consists of many layers, industries, products and services determined by how a region manages itself.
SA already has competitive advantages that attract a vibrant tourism economy. Our location and climate attract visitors to our oceans, landscapes, wildlife areas and safaris. Our weak currency makes everything affordable for visitors with pounds and dollars.
Our liberal constitutional democracy ensures people who choose to come to our shores as same-sex couples won’t get arrested or killed by the state.
But there are problems that prevent us from maximising benefits from this sector. Levels of poverty and unemployment are rising, making it difficult to stimulate domestic tourism.
Our crime rates are too high, which discourages travel to SA. Then there are problems with electricity, water, infrastructure and tedious visa application processes that further discourage potential visitors.
Rwanda does not have any of these competitive advantages. They are an inland nation in a region with bad weather and conflict. Rwanda does not even appear in the top 20 most-visited African countries and is not a constitutional democracy.
But generally, the SA government does not regard service delivery problems as significant impediments to tourism.
Our government is inwardlooking and treats local governance issues as simply in need of better cadres at municipalities.
A crime incident or water cut issue in Port St Johns is the result of a lazy ward councillor, not seen as an international emergency that affect GDP due to the projected drop in tourism figures.
The decision to choose Tottenham Hotspur as a potential partner is even more shocking. This is a struggling club in the English league that won’t play in the Champions League next season. The top 20 football players in the world do not play for the club.
Its support base is so low that football fans in Africa do not watch their matches unless they play against bigger teams. If anything, this decision is not informed by any research or strategy.
The recent resignation of some members of the SA Tourism board, 48 hours after the embarrassing press conference by SA Tourism acting CEO Themba Khumalo, points to bad governance.
Khumalo is a shameful executive who lacks integrity. He has no knowledge about current developments in tourism. He disrespects us and underestimates our collective intelligence. I hope the new tourism minister will cancel this deal and appoint a new board that will pick a competent CEO.
Khumalo must keep polishing his forged accent and stay away from our public institutions.
‘‘ Most arrivals in SA ... came from African continent