RETOSA and its Mandate in regional tourism Global Best practices/Trends Southern Africa’s Market Share of Global Touris

1. INITIATIVES FOR SECTOR DEVELOPMENTRetosa Presentation To The SADC Meeting Of The 20th Trade Negotiating Forum-servicesby Simba MandinyenyaActing Executive Director 18 -19 November 2013, Johannesburg RSA.

2. Content • RETOSA and its Mandate in regional tourism • Global Best practices/Trends • Southern Africa’s Market Share of Global Tourism • General Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector and RETOSA Initiatives on Sector Development • Common Vision • Facilitation Common Visa • , Accessibility, ICT and Digital Connectivity • Product Quality and Sustainability • Regional Destination Marketing • Challenges in Trade in Tourism Services and RETOSA Initiatives on Sector Development • Tourist Cross border movement by both International and SADC nationals • Cross border movement of Tourism Investment • Cross border movement of tourism operators with clients (TFCAs) • Conclusion

3. RETOSA Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa • RETOSA is a SADC institution mandated to : Promote regional tourism development in Southern Africa. In a manner that is ethical and equitable for the mutual benefit of all Member States. • RETOSA is supposed to provide leadership in driving tourism growth and developmentin a region endowed with an unparalleled tourism resource base

4. Regional Tourism • It is important to note: • Tourism ‘s linkage with almost every other sector of the economy • Tourism growth leads to growth in other sectors • Hence, Stakeholder awareness of the strategic nature of tourism is critical . • Southern Africa enjoys only 2% of global tourism cake. This has been so for the last 2 decades. • Paradigm shift needed to grow market share to a target of 5% by 2027. • To achieve this it means Southern Africa tourism growth rate must be sustainably higher than the global average.

5. Global Trends • Global market intelligence informs us that the top performing tourism regions of the world have very strong intra-regional tourism. • Poor performing regions have weak intra-regional tourism. • Tourism is growing more rapidly in those regions that are uniting to enter the global market place as a block. • Regions like the EU, North America and closer home ECOWAS exempt their citizens for a visa to travel within the region. • On the global stage it’s mainly the regional destinations competing for the tourists. • Global trends show that almost every other regional destination is now implementing a common visa for tourists • South America, Central America, South East Asia, Caribbean, closer home in East Africa; Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya will start implementing a single visa from January 2014.

6. General Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector • MSs compete for tourists , This must be when the tourist is in the region. • Key issues that underpin the success of a regional tourism block are • Common Vision • Accessibility, • Facilitation, • Product Quality and Sustainability • Regional (single) Destination Marketing Approach • The 21st global tourist is an: • Experienced and well exposed traveller, • With high expectations, • Wants more for less time and less money. • Is now demanding a green product • Wants multi-destinations when going long-haul

7. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector • Common Vision • Why a common vision is important? • A common visa regime consolidates the image and perception of a single destination • Long-haul visitors prefer to visit more than one destination when they reach a regional destination • They also prefer destination that are more welcoming and user friendly to the visitors. • VISA Regimes are a proven tourism growth factor in different regions and destinations of the world.

8. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector • Common Vision RETOSA Initiative Different levels of economic and tourism development has led to lack of a common ground and therefore Common Vision. If SADC is to grow its tourism market share from 2% to a target of 5%. In SADC a common visa regime is an issue that has been on the agenda for the last 15 years. The establishment of a common visa, the UNIVISA can not be delayed any longer. RETOSA Initiative on the Common Visa A regional common visa (UNIVISA) is an initiation of the regional tourism sector through RETOSA For 15 years SADC has been discussing the UNIVISA All this period RETOSA has kept the issue on the agenda including Educational, Awareness and Advocacy programs

9. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector and RETOSA initiative on the issue of Facilitation • MSs after a long time have now agreed on a phased approach in implementing the UNIVISA • 7 piloting countries with Zambia and Zimbabwe spear heading the process. • The rest of MSs to join as and when they are ready. • RETOSA has been educating and advocating for the UNIVISA, has facilitated funding from WB. • RETOSA continues to urge Zambia and Zimbabwe not to go back starting with Harare, Lusaka, Livingstone and Vic Falls. • This will give impetus to implement the UNIVISA for the other 5 piloting countries going forward. • Intra regional Tourism is key: VISA exemption for SADC nationals • This is work in progress under the Protocol on free movement of SADC Citizens.

10. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector on Accessibility and RETOSA initiatives • UIVIS • The UNIVISA is necessary, but not adequate for SADC to • meet the 5% target. • Even with a common visa tourists need fast user friendly transport systems. • Accessibility is another key factor for rapid growth: The following is required. • Implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision on open skies. • Infrastructure development of airports. • Infrastructure development of seaports for boat cruises • Infrastructure development of roads and rail passenger transport systems

11. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector on ICT and RETOSA initiative The global travel and tourism industry is changing in a dramatic way One of the main driver is the technological advances in the ICT sector. From the way we store destination information, make that info accessible a ns communicate with users. To how a tourist can communicate with friends and relatives once in the destination. Access to internet etc. All these are now a must allowing tourists to make decisions, book and pay for a holiday in the comfort of their homes. The application payment and having a visa is now being done online through the smart electronic visas.

12. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector Product Quality and Sustainable Tourism Development UNIVIS Product Quality: At the end of the day RETOSA must be able to market Southern Africa as a single destination. This calls for harmonization of tourism quality Standards. The product itself must be Value for money and competitive when compared against what other destinations are offering. RETOSA initiatives Harmonization of the regional tourism quality standards, Started with Accommodation facilities. To include other sub sectors like transport and activities as agreed by the sector. Product quality is also determined by infrastructure and services offered by other sectors. RETOSA continues to Lobby relevant authorities The SADC Infrastructure development Master Plan is a timely development for the sector.

13. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector • Regional Destination Marketing • Regional Destination Marketing: RETOSA’s Marketing Strategy is based on Marketing the region as a single but multi faceted destination of 15 MSs. • The success of our Marketing programs are dependent on the success in the issues raised above.

14. Challenges Facing the Region’s Tourism Sector and RETOSA initiative on Tourism Sector Development • There is so much that the regional tourism sector through RETOSA can do. • The limitation is given by the very nature of the sector, its inter linkage and therefore dependence on other sectors mainly transport, security sector, Public Works etc.

15. Vision and Key Strategies

16. Key Strategies • Measurement, Statistics and Strategic Planning • Build our capacity in Tourism Statistics: • What you cannot measure you cannot manage. • We must not just be able to collect statistics, We must be able to use such market intelligence at every level. • We must measure the impact of all tourism programs at every level • ( Positive and Negative) • We must measure our carbon footprint and eco-compansation. • Build our capacity in Tourism Strategic Planning • Without a vision a destination perishes. There is no substitute for tourism development planning. • RETOSA has an exclusive agreement with WES Institute to provide short term courses in Tourism Strategic Planning and Destination Marketing.

17. Challenges in Trade in Tourism Services and RETOSA Initiatives on Sector Development • RETOSA commissioned a study on the Identification of Barriers to Trade in Tourism Services in 2011 • The main issues that came out of the study can be synthesised to the following: • Cross border movement by International tourists • Tourist Cross border movement by SADC nationals • Cross border movement of Labour • Cross border movement of Tourism Investment • Cross border movement of tourism operators with clients (TFCAs) • Differences in tourism policies, regulations creating an uneven operating environment. .

18. Challenges in Trade in Tourism Services and RETOSA Initiatives on Sector Development • Without repeating the issues raised already • RETOSA is advocating for the removal of agreed barriers to trade in tourism services across SADC borders. • The argument is that if our region is to become competitive, sustain above global average growth rates in arrivals and amount spent in the destination we need to allow: • The easy movement of Human capital across the borders to where it is needed the most. • Movement of Financial capital • Easy movement of tourists across borders • Harmonization of the tourism regulatory regime is critical • Equally important is the understanding of tourism’s links with all the other sectors of the economy and that some of the barriers go beyond the tourism sector itself.

19. Conclusion • RETOSA is aware of that to gain a global market that we deserve we must target the following key markets • Domestic • Regional • International from outside the region starting with Africa., our traditional markets and newly emerged markets. • RETOSA is aware that any sustained growth in regional tourism will result in spill over growth in other sectors of the economy. That tourism is a strategic sector for overall economic development for the region.

20. THANK YOU