The South African Tourism Board has agreed not to proceed with the Tottenham Hotspur FC sponsorship proposal as advised by Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille.

De Lille received a letter from the SA Tourism Board chairperson stating that they are no longer considering the proposed sponsorship deal.

“The SA Tourism Board will no longer proceed with the transaction, nor will it seek the concomitant requisite approvals for the proposed transaction,” De Lille says.

“As stated before, in the current economic climate, the use of public funds must be carefully considered and for any department to fulfil its mandate, it must be done in a cost effective way, exploring multiple options and with due consideration for all priorities.

“Our justification for any significant spending must still make sense in terms of the broader economic climate we find ourselves in as a country.

“In this regard, I look forward to continuing to engage SA Tourism’s board and executive management, as I have done in my first two weeks in office, and working with them and the Department of Tourism on strategic actions we can take to enhance South Africa’s position globally as a top tourist destination,” the minister explains.

De Lille says she will continue to engage SA Tourism and the department in more detail on the department’s budget to ensure that they fulfil the department’s mandate of growing visitor numbers to South Africa, providing the necessary support to enable growth, increase job creation and increase the sector’s contribution to the economy.

“It is my hope that all proposals going forward will be discussed at the earliest time to ensure that myself and the department, together with our main entity SA Tourism, work together from the onset and seeks advice and support from one another while following all due processes and legislative requirements.

“This matter is now concluded and we will continue working together to explore all avenues, create the environment conducive for the private sector to invest and crowd in on government initiatives within the legislative framework to grow tourism, welcome more visitors to our beautiful country and create more jobs for people in this sector,” the minister concludes. – SAnews.gov.za