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Tourism Act signed into law

14 Apr 2014

President Jacob Zuma recently signed Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014 into law. The Act will make provisions for the development and promotion of sustainable tourism for the social, economic and environmental benefit of South African citizens.

The process to review the Tourism Act of 1993 began in 2009 in consultation with all spheres of government; tourism stakeholders; the private sector and the South African Public. More than 450 comments were received from discussions relating to the voluntary provision of information by tourism businesses, Tourism Norms and Standards and the role of the Tourism Complaints officer.

The objectives of Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014 include:

The promotion of responsible tourism practices

Provisions for the effective marketing of South Africa, both domestically and internationally through South African Tourism (SAT)

The promotion of quality tourism products and services

The promotion of economic growth and development of the sector

The establishment of concrete intergovernmental relations to develop and manage tourism

Tourism Act No.3 2014 embraces the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) as part of the legislative framework for the management and development of tourism. The Act will enable the sector to address gaps identified during the review process pertaining to the lack of knowledge and information about the sector; the lack of adequate structures for the management of tourism; SMME transformation and the lack of service excellence in the sector.

The Act will see the introduction of a Tourism Complaints Officer who will be based at the National Department of Tourism (NDT). The Tourism Complaints Officer will receive and refer tourist's complaints to relevant authorities nationally. The officer will also play an advisory role of recommending the accreditation of tourism schemes and monitoring their effectiveness.

A significant output of the Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014 will be the establishment of the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) as a legal entity. The Act makes provision for TGCSA to be responsible for the implementation of a grading system that will oversee the quality assurance of tourism product, services and facilities.

Tourism is recognised as one of the six core pillars of growth in the New Growth Path framework. The National Department of Tourism is positive that Tourism Act no 3 of 2014 will go a long way towards assisting the sector to reach its objective of increasing visitor experience; employment creation and growing a sustainable tourism Industry.