When we talk of transformation in the tourism industry, it’s often limited to the issue of BEE and economic transformation. Transformation, however, should however be viewed in broader terms. It should include issues like inclusion and exclusion, the nature of the product offering as an African destination, and questions of who benefits or does not benefit from this sector. And it should include the economic aspects of transformation.

A very powerful tool at the disposal of businesses in the tourism sector is their supply chain. Who do we procure goods and services from? Often a creative look at that opens a vast array of who we can include or exclude. Some wonderful examples exist of hotels that outsourced laundry services to community-based entrepreneurs. Or of the event management company that sources all baked goods from a community bakery. Or township tour operators that use community projects for catering purposes. These types of creative ideas are powerful tools in developing a tourism industry that is inclusive.

As a sector, we are quick to talk of the million-plus jobs we create. We are also quick to talk about job losses as a result of new visa regulations etc. But we need to look at the issue of jobs more deeply. What is the nature of the jobs we create? What are our levels of investment in training to create career paths as opposed to jobs? Have we as an industry done enough to turn part-time jobs into full-time jobs? Why do some of us continue to use labour brokers as opposed to creating positions in our organisations that can sustain a family with regular income?

What is packaged as part of the South African experience also needs to be looked at with a lens of transformation. The same products are used over and over, with little consideration for creative possibilities or geographical spread. Black, urban experiences remain based within the ‘township tour’ context – despite the fact that cities are now unified and townships form part of Cape Town City, Port Elizabeth, Durban etc. However, townships are included sometimes – but within their ‘ghetto’ as opposed to as part of a narrative of a city’s history.

Having said that, it is important to acknowledge some of the challenges that feed into the current status quo. Some tour operators were willing to examine their product offerings, and move to a more inclusive approach. But this cannot be successful if the included product is not market ready or reliable. Neither can this be successful if it is included on the back of overt political pressure. Similarly, newly included products need to comply with industry standards when it comes to the legal operating framework – and these businesses cannot cry that insurances, for example, are a deliberately placed barrier to entry.

The point was made in another transformation article written by Martin Wiest, that education on a tertiary level does not meet industry requirements. I absolutely concur but would argue that the problem is deeper. Many tourism graduates end up studying tourism, not as a first choice but because it is one of the few faculties where they gain access. It results in dispassionate graduates who are of little service to the industry. The lack of geographical knowledge we experience with new graduates is also not a tertiary issue but starts in schools, where it appears understanding the geographic diversity and layout of South Africa is not deemed important. We cannot employ or create career paths for people who do not know Port Elizabeth is on the coast, while Kruger National Park is not.

The final challenge I wish to highlight is the lack of the creation of an ‘enabling environment’, especially on a local government level. A cursory glance at the IDP (Integrated Development Planning) of most municipalities and you will find tourism as part of a local economic development strategy. In practice, however, we find tourism development poorly implemented and very often underfunded. This causes difficulty to new emerging businesses entering the market – as support that should be in place on a local level is often not there, or not very good.

We have come a long way as an industry since 1994. Many companies have grown significantly as visitor numbers have increased from the low 1989/1990 base. Many have done a great job in advancing previously disadvantaged South Africans. Many have created career paths for previously disadvantaged South Africans. But we must not be complacent. The levels of dissatisfaction and exclusion within our society are tangible, and manifest in campaigns at universities and on dusty township streets. The message is that many young Black South Africans feel excluded, from tertiary education, from service delivery, from the economy – and many black entrepreneurs feel excluded from the tourism industry. For our own survival as a sector, I think it’s important that we don’t reduce the issue of transformation to a simple numbers and demographics issue, and that we do not conflate transformation with the current political dispensation. Rather, we need to acknowledge that transformation is a social justice issue, and one that we as an industry need to address where we can. Because a stable country where tourism is everybody’s business is what will keep visitors coming to South Africa.