Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism
- (a) What specific collaborative initiatives currently exist between his Department and the Department of Local Government to enhance tourism offerings in township economies and (b) what portion of his Department’s budget has been dedicated to tourism-specific township interventions in the 2026/27 financial year;
- what are the current estimates for the township tourism industry in the province regarding (a) its total annual gross value, (b) the total number of visitors served and (c) the total number of individuals employed in this subsector;
- (a) how many township-based SMMEs have received financial or technical support through the (i) Tourism Growth Fund and (ii) Sustainable Tourism Enterprise Sup-port Programme (STEP) in the 2025/26 financial year and (b) what measures are being taken to monitor the long-term sustainability of these businesses;
- (a) what specific barriers to entry for township tourism operators has his Department has identified and (b) what strategies is his Department implementing to mitigate these barriers in the 2026/27 MTEF period?
(1) (a) No such agreement is in place.
(b) The Department does not ringfence tourism budgets for specific communities as its resources are too limited to allow for this. It should, however, be noted that most participants of the experience development master classes are from community-based tourism contexts. The same applies to its various other training interventions. The Department will report on the outcomes of these initiatives in its annual report once all performance data has been verified and audited.
(2) No such granular data is currently available.
(3) (a) (i) Two tour operators benefited from the Tourism Growth Fund during the financial year. Bike & Hike conducts tours of Langa, which employs two freelance guides from the community. Winelands Guide offers cycling and walking tours, including a walking tour of Kayamandi and other communities such as Pniel and La Motte Village. Winelands Guide also employs local freelance guides. (ii) Beneficiaries include SouthernXplorer, which offers township tours in and around Cape Town, Mamzo’s Lodge in Kwanokuthula in Bitou, Ubizo Events & Tours based in Langa, Township & Village, which sells tours and experiences in Kayamandi, Pniel, Vlakte and Kylemore that benefits local guides and hosts. (b). The Department remains in contact with most of these beneficiaries. Phase 2 of the project will be implemented in the new Financial Year.
(4) (a) Barriers to entry include:
- Limited access to affordable finance
- Business management and digital skills gaps
- Inadequate assets and compliant infrastructure
- Difficulty meeting formal sector standards
- Limited product and market differentiation
- Lack of market access and value-chain linkage
(b) Various initiatives are underway across the Department, including the development of a Township Economic Development Strategy, an MSME Strategy, and a Digital Economy Skills Mapping Study. Tourism specific interventions include:
- Tourism Growth Fund
- Tourism toolkits, master classes & startup micro-grants
- Tourism Career & Enterprise Accelerator Programme
- Sustainable Tourism Empowerment Programme
These interventions are described in the Department’s Annual Performance Plan.
