Domestic tourism: The magic on your doorstep

Domestic tourism is South Africa’s passport to overcoming the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, believes Department of Tourism Director-General Victor Tharage.

“People travel for different reasons, and while it has become anecdotal that travelling is an escape, people actually travel not to escape life, but to embrace it,” he says.

The global pandemic has reined in people’s enthusiasm for life, however.

“It has wreaked unprecedented havoc on tourism. Having been at the coalface of this epidemiological storm, the tourism sector was all but decimated by Covid-19,” says Tharage.

He says the sector was the first to close, when travel ground to a halt globally, and the last to partially re-open. “It was a catastrophe of note, decimating both lives and livelihoods.”

The pandemic has shown no signs of receding; only ebbing and flowing in intensity. It has also brought into sharp focus the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

Tharage says the tourism sector needs to do more than just encourage South Africans to travel in their own country.

“We need to inculcate a love of travel as an extension of nation-building and social cohesion, and highlight the vast value chain that the sector supports. The lull in travel brought about by the pandemic has also seen a sharp uptake in tech-savvy enterprises that has demonstrated resilience and innovation.

“To tip the scales in favour of recovery, we focused sharply on the second pillar of the sector’s recovery plan to reignite demand. There has been a paradigm shift in tourism demand since the start of the pandemic, from international to domestic travel.

“The modest income the sector earned during the worst of the lockdown was mainly derived from increased domestic travel. Therefore, domestic marketing efforts will be intensified and the department and South African Tourism, in partnership with the private sector, will undertake several domestic marketing campaigns,” explains Tharage.

These will include marketing of various attractions, deal-driven campaigns and digital engagements aimed at reaching all South Africans.

“To ensure that attractions are more accessible to South Africans, a dual pricing system is being discussed with our sector partners.”

Road to recovery

“Covid-19 illustrated the fault lines in our society. It became clear that we had to pause, pivot and plan. After a tumultuous year, the government responded with mitigation and adaptation measures in the form of a bold plan to position the economy on a growth trajectory and to get the tourism sector on a sustainable path to recovery.

“The tourism sector is one of the critical intervention areas that have been identified in the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, as tourism is a key driver of the economic recovery in the country.

“To support small enterprises, the department allocated R200m to the Tourism Relief Fund, which paid 4 000 enterprises an amount of R50 000 each,” he says.

The Department of Tourism and its stakeholders have collaborated to develop the robust Tourism Sector Recovery Plan. Tharage says it is anchored on three interlinked pillars or strategic themes: Protecting and rejuvenating supply, reigniting demand, and strengthening enabling capability for long-term sustainability.

“The main focus of our programmes during this financial year will be on the implementation of this plan,” he says.

Diversity in tourism

The theme for Tourism Month 2021 is ‘Tourism for inclusive growth’, which highlights the importance of the meaningful participation of all South Africans in the tourism economy.

“Through our departmental programmes and projects, we target vulnerable groups like unemployed youth, women and rural communities to join the tourism value chain. The main focus of Tourism Month is to highlight the importance of domestic tourism and its contribution to the economy,” says Tharage.

Domestic tourism has always been the backbone of the industry and it will also be the driving force of the recovery plan. The minister and deputy minister recently led a series of domestic tourism activations across the country to promote domestic travel and to encourage a culture of travel among South Africans, while showcasing the variety of available experiences, attractions and establishments.

“The Destination Development Programme will continue with the implementation of a tourism infrastructure maintenance programme for state-owned assets to protect and rejuvenate tourism supply. The focus of this work is on improving and upgrading sites of heritage significance, including liberation heritage, national parks, botanical gardens and rural and township precincts.

“To this end, we have prioritised the implementation of just over 100 tourism infrastructure initiatives across the country, and a further 30 community-based projects. This work is largely funded through our Working for Tourism Expanded Public Works Programme,” he says.

To increase the participation of SMMEs in the tourism sector, the department will expand incubation programmes to support youth-owned small enterprises.

“This will include business support and development through the addition of the Tourism Tech Incubator, in partnership with the Technology Innovation Agency, and the Tour Operators Incubator, which will be implemented in this financial year,” says Tharage.

The magic on your doorstep

Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa says the private sector has proactively marketed existing specials on various platforms, including online channels.

He says South Africans should be more open to exploring their own country. “We have to thoroughly explore to learn about each other’s cultures, especially given that we are such a diverse nation and so vast in terms of landscape and possible experiences,” he says.

Tshivhengwa believes there are many hidden gems in the country that would appeal to South Africans who usually go on overseas holidays. The international travel restrictions present the perfect opportunity to travel domestically – and to enjoy the many discounts currently available.

TBCSA says the tourism sector has been successful in implementing Covid-19 protocols. “This is important because currently, the biggest marketing tool is ensuring that the tourism sector is safe, and people are comfortable travelling around the country.

“Tourism is fun, dynamic and vibrant but, at the same time, it supports a complex yet thriving tourism ecosystem and provides thousands of direct and indirect jobs. “All sectors feed into tourism in building a strong brand,” Tharage says.

“Tourism is everybody’s business. While economically tourism keeps our pockets filled, it also soothes the soul and nurtures the spirit. Let your wanderlust be ignited and enjoy the many unique attractions that South Africa has to offer. Be a tourist in your own country and rediscover your South Africa today!”

Tourism and heritage

South Africa commemorates both Heritage and Tourism months in September and with a growing interest in cultural tourism, the two celebrations are as intertwined as Hermanus and whales or Kruger and the Big 5.

– Cultural tourism: This refers to cultural aspects that are of interest to visitors, including the customs and traditions of people, their heritage, history and way of life (White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa, 1996).

– Heritage: Heritage is the sum total of wildlife and scenic parks, sites of scientific and historical importance, national monuments, historic buildings, works of art, literature and music, oral traditions and museum collections and their documentation, which provides the basis for a shared culture and creativity in the arts (White Paper on Arts and Culture,1996).