Although South Africa’s newly elected government has only been in office for three months, there are already good indications that the travel and tourism industry is getting its fair share of attention.

The first 100 days have seen the National Department of Tourism (NDT), which was established shortly after the elections, actively engaging with the tourism industry through a series of road shows and events.

“The overall sentiment within the travel and tourism industry of the government under President Zuma is a positive one with all the indications pointing to a leadership that is committed to improve the lives of South Africans from all walks of life,” says Mmatšatši Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA). “This is evidenced in the expanded cabinet with portfolios such as human settlement, rural development and broadened economic portfolios on the one hand while keeping a ‘sharp eye’ on co-ordinating government planning and monitoring. There is a clear sign that the new leadership is moving forward with a firm understanding of South Africa being a ‘developmental state’, which is in line with the ruling party’s policies.

“We have had excellent open engagements with the tourism department and there has been a great deal of input from the private sector on how we would like to see government assist us in supporting the growth of the industry,” says Marobe. “We would like to see the next 100 days bear some fruit in terms of a workable Booster Plan for the industry and some core pressing issues resolved, particularly around the SETAs and more specifically the tourism SETA (THETA) and transport, both from normal tourism transport and soccer world cup-specific transport issues.”

In keeping with sentiments expressed at the recent Annual General Meeting of the TBCSA, there is also a need for the new government to address the status of South African Airways, in terms of whether it is classified as a profit-making entity “operating without protection or financial support from government” or whether it is “a national carrier that receives monetary and legislative support and in turn invests in routes that support the growth of tourism”.

Marobe also notes: “We welcome some of the developments within the country’s policing sphere which we hope will bear fruit in addressing the country’s security challenges, as well as the announcement of plans to recruit unemployed youths into the South African Police Service (SAPS). We hope that some of these recruits will be deployed as Tourist Police.”