South Africa’s foreign arrivals have jumped from less than one million annual foreign arrivals in 1990 to 7,3-million in 2005, said Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
Speaking in his Budget vote in the National Assembly on Tuesday, the minister noted that there was “little doubt as to why tourism has been identified as one of the immediate priority sectors within the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), “as it remains one of the most dynamic sectors in our economy”.
“Lest we forget, in the two decades before 1990, we received less than one million annual foreign arrivals. Last year we shattered every target we set for ourselves, welcoming no less than 7,3-million international visitors.
“As part of the growth platform targeted by AsgiSA, tourism has been set some very steep goals for the next five years: 500 000 new jobs, 8,5-million international arrivals annually and a contribution to GDP of at least R100-billion a year.
“Our challenge in reaching these goals will be to ensure that this growth translates into real benefits for the person trapped in poverty and in the second [informal] economy,” noted Van Schalkwyk, who joined the ruling African National Congress from the New National Party last year.
“In addition to the work that we are currently doing, I have instructed the department to, within the next two months, develop a comprehensive programme of second-economy interventions.” — I-Net Bridge