NTSS Implementation Work Streams Meetings

By ADMIN2, 27 November, 2023
Department of Tourism

IPTGSA - attends National Department of Tourism (NDT) whole-day meeting on 23 November 2023 Greetings fellow members of the Institute. Lesiba Fothane, Johan van Biljon, and Sam Wenger attended the “National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) Implementation Work Streams Meetings”, quite a mouthful of a title. These meetings are held twice a year and are open to stakeholders in tourism, chaired by the National Department of Tourism, attended by government departments and tourism private enterprises. The forum is by invitation only. The various presentations were mostly follow-up presentations that emerged from previous meetings or to close gaps on items rarely discussed before. 

The Centre stage revolved around the Tourism Sector Master Plan with a focus on various strategic interventions, implementation plan, support requirements, and how they link with all the other programs and plans/initiatives. There was one presentation from the Deputy Director General (DDG) of the Department of “Destination Management and Development (DD)” that caught our attention. That department head has a budget per annum to spend on maintenance and upgrading of existing tourism facilities in all 9 provinces. The presentation gave us (the tourist guide) the impression that the DD Department seems unsure or perhaps even at a loss as to what is needed in terms of urgent repair or upgrade interventions to tourist-frequented public and private facilities. A plea was made to the attendees to submit suggestions with back-up information and GPS coordinates of any such facility and what the situation is now. 

We replied that some long overdue repairs and upgrades have materialized at the Bourke’s Luck Potholes restrooms. At the same time, we gave one example where serious upgrade and restoration was needed. The site is North of Polokwane on the N1, where one visits the Tropic of Capricorn. The Institute committed to sending in reports of facilities in need of serious attention. Please fellow Institute members, this is your / our chance to shine by giving actual information that helps them identify and fix things that are in need of fixing. You may on an ongoing basis gather any such information (Name of place/site and where it is or near a known place; defect description; photos; GPS coordinates; date information is captured; your name and guide registration number; then forward them to the Institute). We will then at intervals forward them to the desk of the DDG the DD Department. We may design a form for this purpose and make it available. There were presentations from other Government Departments with a focus on matters pertaining to their mandate/jurisdiction: DDG: Tourism Research, Policy & International Relations (TRP&IR) DDG: Tourism Sector Support Services (TSSS) Presentations and updates were also given by the respective Government Department officials regarding the following entities which are regarded as “enablers of growth”: Department of Home Affairs: Subject E-Visa; Improvement of technologies at ports of entry 

Department of Transport: Airlift capacity; Aviation policy and regulations; Tour operator passenger road transport vehicle licenses. On the subject of ‘tour operator passenger road transport vehicle licensing’, SATSA interjected verbally to the audience, that they are willing to assist anyone that may still have issues with obtaining such a license, especially with regards to the backlog situation that seems to have been ongoing for a long time, but has reached the point where backlog is or almost is cleared up. This offer from SATSA is not only limited to the members of SATSA, but is extended to nonmembers with unresolved or pending cases. We suggest that any of our members in need of that support from SATSA, should speak to Johan van Biljon first.

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