Applications are now open for the R20 million (€1.1m) Tourism Relief Fund established by the KwaZulu Natal provincial government.

The province’s MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Ravi Pillay, announced that at least 400 tourism businesses in KZN were set to benefit from the fund.

Applications opened on March 15 and will close on April 15. Successful applicants will receive R50 000 (€2 800) each, and tourist guides stand to receive R4 500 (€250) each. According to Pillay, priority will be given to businesses in the province that could not benefit from any of the available government funding schemes.

Last year, the National Tourism Relief Fund successfully supported 4 000 businesses, 607 of which were in KZN.

“The survival of small, distressed tourism businesses during this trying time is of critical importance. This is why, as the KZN government, we have recognised the need to intervene to save these businesses from total collapse. We also hope that this scheme will lead to jobs being saved,” said Pillay.

Accommodation establishments, hospitality and travel-related services are all eligible to apply for the fund, provided they have been operational for a minimum of one year.

Forms for application can be downloaded from the Tourism KZN website (www.zulu.org.za). Completed forms, together with the required supporting documents, must be converted into a pdf and sent to the following email address: kzntourismrelief@zulu.org.za