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- Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu says she is "over the moon" that Brand SA and SA Tourism can merge.
- The go ahead was given by President Cyril Ramaphosa, she said during a briefing on Thursday.
- The Tourism Business Council of SA, which represents the private sector, has called for this move for many years, says its CEO.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has given the green light for the merger of Brand SA and SA Tourism, Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu said on Thursday.
She said a process of legal and regulatory changes still needs to be completed. In the meantime there will be a combined interim board. This will allow the two entities to collaborate as single entities under the Tourism Ministry.
While SA Tourism falls under her department, Brand SA's executive authority is the Minister in the Presidency.
Mpumzi Zuzile, spokesperson of the minister, told Fin24 on Thursday that the Cabinet Lekgotla of January 2020 directed that government entities should be rationalised and repurposed. As part of this exercise, departments with entities that have similar or related mandates were requested to work together.
"The Department of Tourism and GCIS have been collaborating for some time on maximising the positioning of SA Tourism and Brand SA. The Cabinet Economic Lekgotla held during June 2022 took a decision to merge the two entities.
"The minister of tourism has been given the responsibility to take the process forward," said Zuzile. "There are immediate pockets of value which include South Africa's global brand positioning and management."
Wanted for 'many years'
Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA), which represents the private sector, said the industry body had been calling for such a unified approach for many years.
He noted that Brand SA focused on the image of South Africa in general and also attended to investment promotion overseas.
"Therefore, it is not necessarily about tourism, but regarding investment and positivity about the country," said Tshivhengwa.
He believes the merger can help smooth the path towards much-needed investment by avoiding duplication and creating a more organised impression.
"It is important to harmonise how we get people to either travel to SA or invest here - or both. Usually, before someone invests in a country, they might first travel there. If they have a positive experience, then they will consider investing," says Tshivhengwa.
By merging Brand SA and SA Tourism it would avoid SA looking "disorganised" when - as currently sometimes happens - the same potential investors or tourism markets are approached by more than SA marketing organisation.
"Economically, tourism is very important for SA and we have to continue to position the country positively. We compete with other countries and must put our best foot forward. If that means we have to organise ourselves better here at home, then so be it. The merger is an important move," says Tshivhengwa.
Tourism performance
Sisulu said during her briefing that SA's tourism industry is bouncing back.
She said in the first half of the year, there were 2.3 million arrivals recorded. The bulk were visitor arrivals from other African countries.
"The African land market is our bread and butter," said Sisulu. Over the same period the the African air market brought in 1.63 million arrivals.
Sisulu is also pleased with increases from key source markets like Europe and the Americas.
Another segment that she is pleased about is domestic tourism. Between January and June this year 15.2 million domestic trips were recorded - higher than before the pandemic hit. For her this shows the pent-up demand which built up.
A further plus for her is that forward bookings are increasing.
"We will continue to intensify targeted communication on our digital platforms to sell South Africa as a destination of choice, inviting the world to come and 'Live Again' with us," Sisulu concluded.
Brand SA and SA Tourism referred Fin24 to the Ministry for comment.
