The Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape welcomes the announcement of the newly launched Tourism Product Development Fund by the Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The initiative pledges a total of R5 million to both current and new tourism products in the province.
MPP Deidré Baartman says: “We welcome the funding initiative which will be utilised for tourism related activities since this is one of the industries that is negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this fund is to ensure that adequate support is provided for the establishment and promotion of sustainable tourism within Western Cape, as we find ourselves in times that require incredible innovation and creativity.
This is another example of the provincial government filling the gaps left by the national Tourism Department. There is still no guidance from national government in terms of how the tourism industry will recover, and instead we have seen both Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane and the Presidency backtrack on regulations which would have allowed much more of leisure tourism to safely operate.”
The introduction of the fund is proof of the provincial government’s confidence in the long-term outlook for tourism in the Western Cape. Now, we need Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane to step up to the plate and announce a comprehensive tourism relief package for the sector as a whole.
Baartman, MPP adds: “I call on all interested tourism stakeholders to attend the briefing session hosted by the department on 23 July. Applicants can also review the criteria and other documentation on the website.”
Pre-booking for the briefing session is required. Pre-book by emailing productdevelopmentfund@westerncape.gov.za by the 22nd of July 2020 at 12:00
