Portfolio Committee on Tourism

1. Portfolio Committee on Tourism Transformation in Tourism By LoshniNaidooFrom Grand Tourism Enterprise (Independent Consultant)

2. Contents Introduction What is Transformation? What is Tourism? Trends in Tourism Growth Domestic Tourism Buzz Words in Tourism Medical Tourism Sport Tourism Education Tourism e-Tourism Leisure Tourism Business Tourism Sustainable Tourism - Eco/Green Tourism Summary

3. Introduction Transformation is a word that is being used often now days to engage organisations, companies and the Government in strategic planning and enforcing of ideas that has a turn around effect on previous policies and methods that needed a relook at. Based on this I have decided to open this presentation with a look at one example of another country’s processes that has effected this change, and that is Singapore. Tourism in Singapore has increased remarkably. Singaporean Tourism tips us 3 key factors in continuing transformation: The ability to always transform topped the three key factors towards a booming tourist-haven .Singapore is dubbed as the world’s “Lion City”.LynelleSeow, Singapore Tourism Board Area Director, Philippines and Brunei gave such tips at a press conference recently held at The Marco Polo, Davao. Seow tagged Singapore as “a city that’s always transforming.” She said if Singapore is like this a year ago, “it is very different now, because we continue to reinventing.” Two of the other key factors she gave refer to the closeness of Singapore government and the country’s private sector. "We’re a very closely-knit government agency,” she said. The close coordination between government and private sector is key towards a rosy tourism industry in Singapore, Seow said. The third which she described as very strategic to boost tourism, is infrastructure and tourism products that are made available according to the needs of the visitors. “It’s about understanding the needs of our visitors,” Seow said. Last year, Singapore described as first-class cosmopolitan city had 10 million visitors. Seow said they are expecting the number to climb to 12 million this year or 16 percent growth given the new tourism destinations and activities in Singapore this year.

4. What is Transformation? Qualitative change OR Metamorphosis Transformation is a buzzword popularised by Donald Rumsfeld referring to a "change of mindset that will allow the US military to harness the technological advances of the information age to gain a qualitative advantage over any potential foe." In an organisational context, a process of profound and radical change that orients an organisation in a new direction and takes it to an entirely different level of effectiveness. Unlike 'turnaround' (which implies incremental progress on the same plane) transformation implies a basic change of character and little or no resemblance with the past configuration or structure.

5. What is Tourism? The act of travelling or sightseeing, particularly away from one's home; collectively, the tourists visiting a place or landmark Hunziker and Krapf, in 1941, defined tourism as "the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity." In 1976 Tourism Society of England defined it as "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes." In 1981 International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism defined Tourism in terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home environment.

6. What is Tourism? MY DEFINITION Tourism is an important relationship between many interrelated sectors, industries and resources and the end users of these. Tourism is determined by many factors e.g. , hospitality of the people of the host country through service & friendliness, places to be visited and the cleanliness or attractiveness of that place ,the convenience and efficiency of movement within the country through transportation and ability to purchase quality products. In essence Tourism then is the Marketing and Sales of the Country as a whole to people within and outside of the country for capital return on investment. Economic growth depends not only on people visiting, but on people and countries wanting to do business, invest, study or do research and to holiday in the country and the host country therefore has to make huge investments on its infrastructures and its people in order to reap the benefits.

7. Trends in Tourism . The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts that international tourism will continue growing at the average annual rate of 4 %.[3] By 2020 Europe will remain the most popular destination, but its share will drop from 60 % in 1995 to 46 %. Long-haul will grow slightly faster than intraregional travel and by 2020 its share will increase from 18 % in 1995 to 24 %

8. Transformation Strategy • By 2020 South Africa should then be the first choice for long-haul destinations. Planning should be done in a short space of time with expert advisors from independent consultants,people in the field,government and businesses. The idea is to have efficiency,wise spend on funds,preservation of sites,museums,buildings and improvements on infrastructure,servicedelivery,policing,service excellence ,healthcare and skills development

9. International tourist arrivals (in millions) Growth Tourism is also one of the fastest growing sectors of South Africa's economy, its contribution to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) increasing from 4.6% back in 1993 to 8.3% in 2006. South Africa recorded a total of more than 9.9 million (9 933 966) foreign arrivals last year, compared to approximately 9.6 million (9 591 828) in 2008. According to Stats South Africa the main contributors in the economic activity for the 3rd quarter of 2010 were the mining and quarrying industry (1.5%), the wholesale, retail, motor trade and the accommodation industry and the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry each contributing (0.4%) and finance, real estate and business services and the transport, communications and storage industry each contributing (0.3%).In contrast the manufacturing industry contributed (-0.8%)

10. Transformation Strategy • International arrivals should increase by 1 million rather than 400 000. International marketing has to be transformed, there should be a redesign of our drawcards,which is elaborated in ‘Buzz Words’,The rural and Township experience has to become a priority for tourists who want to see real Africa.An exciting website which is user friendly,with relevant information for the tourist.International Standards and Benchmarking should be strictly adhered to and monitored by the relevant bodies like TGCSA,TBCSA,SATSA .

11. Intrabound tourism is a term coined by the Korea Tourism Organization Recently, the tourism industry has shifted from the promotion of inbound tourism to the promotion of intrabound tourism because many countries are experiencing tough competition for inbound tourists. Some national policymakers have shifted their priority to the promotion of intrabound tourism to contribute to the local economy. Examples of such campaigns include "See America" in the United States, "Get Going Canada" in Canada, "Guseok Guseok" (corner to corner) in South Korea, and ‘SHOT L’EFT’ in South Africa The province of preference for trips in general was KwaZulu-Natal, which generated 21,2% of all tourist arrivals, and also had the highest proportion of overnight trips (22,7%). Gauteng was the most visited province on day trips (24,2%). The two most frequently used modes of transport for domestic tourism were taxis and cars. Of the 15,130 million day and overnight trips, cars were used as mode of transport in 6,566 million trips and taxis in 6,032 million trips. Taxis were mostly used as the mode of transport to visit friends and Family/relatives(28,3%) and to do shopping for personal use (30,5%). Taxis  were  the  mode  of  transport  for  more  than  half  the  trips  when  the  provinces  of destination were Limpopo (55,1%) and North West (50,4%). Eating  out  at  restaurants  and  cafes  was  a  very  popular  activity  on  both  day  and  overnight  trips.  An  estimated 1,467 million people ate at restaurants and cafes on day trips, while 2,648 million people ate at restaurants whilst on overnight trips. Most travellers also engage in shopping at malls/flea markets, about 924 000 travellers during day trips and 2,772 overnight trips. Domestic Tourists

12. Transformation Strategy Domestic tourism is vital for growth and for economic activity within the country.If just 1% the citizens of SA travel overseas annually on holiday,business trips and for studies and medical purposes,thats almost 5 million people. We need to make domesic tourism so attractive that South Africans would want to stay and visit within the country. A very high percentage of South Africans have not visited many provinces within the country but have travelled widely overseas. If the E-Tolling system goes ahead for Gauteng and other provinces thereafter,then domestic tourism will be hugely disadvantaged.Taking the above stats into consideration that cars and taxis are the most frequently used modes of transport,intrabound tourism may not improve if travellers are unhappy with the new tolling system.There should be an urgent drive to make the bullet train between provinces a transport of choice for many intraboundtourists.The annual death toll on our roads during holidays and festivals is a real indication of why the bullet train would be a better choice than cars and taxi’s. Transformation also happens when the tourism sector works closely with the other sectors in combating certain issues that cause disruptions to growth e.g the recent striking truckers, fuel and the transport system affects domestic tourism or the high prices of airline tickets by SAA. Other sectors also, like the accommodation sector,have places that are incorrectly graded or they have not been revisited by the grading council and therefore when standards drop,people won’t want to support them.The various accommodation places are also putting their own prices that are not benchmarked with their immediate competitors.More regulation needed in monitoring these unfair practices.

13. Knowing all this… NOW WHAT? To transform tourism in South Africa we have to make some changes to existing unproductive and waning methods. What are the changes that we are looking for and how can it be done? How can we increase accommodation stats from 0.4% to something between 0.8 and 1%. How can we change attitudes and introduce more skills and service excellence? How do we become accountable?

14. Buzz Words in Tourism The fact that there is a description for trendy happenings called ‘Buzz Words’, means that everything in the world is continuously changing, evolving and improving, so to in the tourism industry. For any business and therefore any country to keep up with the latest trends and reap the benefits of what’s ‘IN’, then the following buzz words should be what the Tourism Industry should follow right now: Medical Tourism Sport Tourism Education Tourism E-Tourism Leisure Tourism Business Tourism Sustainable Tourism/Eco & Green Tourism

15. Medical Tourism What is Medical Tourism and why ? The concept of Medical Tourism is not new, as the affluent patients in the ancient world have flocked to thera-peutic baths in ancient Roman destinations in the West as well as Ayurvedic health centers and hot springs in the East. These patients proceed to these sites not only for health and medical purposes but basking in the natural beauty that the site has. This practice has been revived in modern times, as prompted by the extremely cost-prohibitive medical procedures and services offered in developed countries like the United States. Exorbitant health insurance costs in these countries resulted in a great number of their citizenry opting not to get insurance or be underinsured. Aside from that, those who can afford medical services in the United States and the United Kingdom often end up in long waiting lists, with queues running for as long as six months just to avail of simple medical procedures. One of the allures of Medical Tourism is the readily available high-quality services in world-class facilities such as the ones available in Chennai. With doctors that are trained and certified to international standards, and health facilities that have international accreditation and affiliations with top facilities in the United States and the U.K., going on a Medical Tourism journey is a viable and preferable alternative for foreign patients seeking healthcare.

16. Medical Tourism In destinations like Chennai, medical tourists can avail of a wide variety of medical and healthcare services, from rejuvenating Ayurvedic and Yoga massages, to the latest in medical procedures using state-of-the-art facili-ties. These include services and procedures from dental, cardiac, infertility and cosmetic surgeries and treatments. No wonder there is an average of 6.65 lakh tourists visit Chennai to avail not only of the prime medical services that the region offers, but also to enjoy the prime tourist and vacation destinations that made Chennai the 2nd largest tourism industry in India. AnuragAgnihotri Thursday, July 1, 2010

17. Transformation Strategy • South Africa like India has inexpensive surgical procedures for the patient from the west.We are not doing enough to promote medical tourism. Our medical fraternity are of a very high standard in all other aspects of medicine. Recuperating patients and their families will have the opportunity to enjoy our countries hospitality for as long as they want,while also spending that much needed pound and dollar. There is an increasing interest in SPA’s and Retreats,and we would now find a SPA in every suburb,town and city in SA. Retreats are growing in popularity and new developments are mushrooming in many peripheral regions like Drakensberg, KZN Midlands, Paarl, Warmbaths, etc. Why are travel agents and tour operators not maximising on these to create new products for their packages. • Here again,there should be businesses networking for mutual benefit.

18. Sports Tourism Without a doubt, South Africa would be the country of choice for Sports and Mega Events. This was evident at the UNWTO summit held last year. Sport tourism is a growing trend as more sport enthusiasts follow their sporting teams and heroes throughout the world . The host country benefits immensely from revenue spend. Sport creates a different euphoria compared to any other tourism trend, as the tourists are on a high from the games and tend to have fun all the time. We have seen this happen during the Soccer World Cup and the T20 and ICC Cricket World Cup, not forgetting the Rugby World Cup and during our other sporting events like the Two Oceans Marathon, the Comrades,Dusi,Midmar Mile,A1 Racing, July Handicap & J&B Met .

19. Transformation Strategy • South Africa has got this one right. If there should be any transformation issue, it would be that more people be given opportunities to be a part of the mega events so that they may also conduct business and benefit from their contribution to tourism. Tenders have been unfairly afforded to some businesses, while others tried very hard and had no success. People were disgruntled during the soccer world cup when they felt used and only a small percentage benefitted from the jobs and tenders.

20. Education Tourism Educational tourism involves gaining new knowledge and technical competency outside the classroom environment. The main focus of educational tourism includes travelling to another country to learn about the culture of the visited nations. A good example of this is the exchange student programme and work and travel programme. Travelling to another country to work and apply learning skills inside the classroom in different environment, such as the International Placement & Training Program, can also be considered as educational tourism. Iv I Ivory Research Ltd, We are priviledged in South Afric to have an environment that is very condusive to learning especially in the form of research. The Vredeforte Dome,a world heritage site, and the largest crater in the word,should have more enthusiastic students and scientists in the field of astronomy wanting to spend their time here. Paleontologists will find all the discoveries on our land and in our oceans a huge fascination that caters for their interest. The bones and fossils at cradle of Human kind,and the presence of the Coelecanth are all a dream for people in this field. Our eight World Heritage sites provide educational information for people in each field of interest; our medical facilities are also ideal educational environments. We have some of the most prestigious institutions right here in South Africa.

21. Transformation Strategy • More marketing of our tourism treasures,like the heritage sites, is needed for the appropriate sectors internationally. SA Tourism should be engaging with other tourism experts to gauge the interest and the contribution of each sector to brainstorm ideas on marketing and promotions.With the increasing number of educational institutes and medical facilities we should encourage students from other countries to study here.Not only will this be a 3 to 6 year stay of these students or researchers but it also means that families will visit and have their holidays here in S Africa.

22. e-Tourism With the advent of e-commerce, tourism products have become one of the most traded items on the internet When a traveller makes a decision to travel in the 21st century, the first thing he or she does is to go on the internet and Google the country, the city and the activities/entertainment offered there. Then he or she would look for accommodation depending on his or her budget, likes and dislikes and reviews of other guests who visited before. The tourist then makes necessary transport arrangements for his transfer and tours. South Africa is already being investigated and enjoyed from a curious perspective even before the tourist arrives. Currently we have some very brilliant websites of South African Tourism in the form of southafrica.net, southafrica.info, satour.co.za, and more. Businesses in the tourism industry have also got their own websites with links into the countries websites or other tourism bodies like SATSA, Gauteng Tourism, TKZN, Cape Tourism etc.

23. Transformation Strategy • Websites should not lie, because it’s important that businesses and the countries websites show pictures that are realistic and true. Tourists want to know that what they are seeing is what they are getting-Tourism can be the first downfall of the countries tourism should we paint a false picture. Websites should therefore be viewed and passed by tourism bodies like TGCSA, SATSA, TBCSA and other regulatory councils. E-Tourism can be a very effective tool for marketing South Africa if we have exciting websites, which provide the truth, that is simple and user friendly and give the information that the tourist seeks.

24. Leisure Tourism According to World Leisure Holidays the top holiday destinations of the world are: Mauritius, Zanzibar, Cape Town, Maldives, Dubai, Thailand, Bahamas, Mexico One of our provinces features,which is a huge stepping stone for our country as a whole. Another province that is great for Leisure holidays is KZN,probably the only province in S Africa that has the mountain,and with snow in winter,the sea with warm currents,thesunshine,thewildlife,the infrastructure and the most diverse people all in one. Leisure,is the ability to relax and and enjoy a lifestyle even if it is for a short period of time. When employees and business people take that much needed break during the holidays,they want no thoughts of work and they want no stress.They just wanted to be treated very well,spoilt and pampered. They want to be able to wear relaxing clothing,sit on the patio in the hotel,swim and sit on the sand or go for a game drive. These are things that make a holiday enjoyable and memorable.South Africa has beautiful and ideal family getaway spots and also for honeymooners.

25. Transformation Strategy • Great Customer Service. Great Customer Service. Great Customer Service...

26. Business Tourism • “Business tourism has been bolstered by a new sense of energy and direction, and I believe this will make a significant contribution to consolidating our continent's position in the global arena and demonstrating our capabilities in terms of hosting international events. - Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism “ at Meetings Africa 2011 . • Creating and promoting time-efficient packaged options is a must.

27. Sustainable Tourism / Eco / Green Tourism Ecotourism is: "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990) Costa Rica The number one eco-vacation spot in the world. According to the 2010 Environmental Performance Index, Costa Rica ranked 3rd in the world and 1st among the Americas. It ranks first in the Happy Planet Index and has also been dubbed the greenest country in the world. SAFARI HILLS-USA-This is the year you can make a difference in your life and in the life of those in need, simply by taking a trip to Africa that combines sustainable tourism with luxury. Here’s how taking a sustainable vacation to Africa will help you become a happier and healthier person, help impoverished African communities thrive, and help fragile eco-systems live on: Donating to a charity or supporting an organization that has personal resonance with you is a wonderful way to give back to those in need. But often times when you send a cheque to charity, you can’t visualize the measurable impact that your contribution has created. When you take a sustainable trip to Africa, you can see the environment that you’re helping to sustain and you can interact with the people that your trip is affecting ,for example, when you stay in an eco-tourism lodge or camp that employs locals on their staff and as certified safari guides, you know that part of your fees are going to those individuals to help them support their families and communities.

28. Transformation Strategy • Not every business traveller would like to stay in business hotels.Many would like the environment to simulate home comforts . The accommodation sectors and restaurants can score many points during the business travellers stay in the country by promoting and marketing a combined package online. • Business travellers tend to get their PA’s to make all the necessary travel and accommodation arrangements.The traveller can only revisit and refer if he has had the best possible experience while on business. Hotels and B&B’s should be encouraged to have WiFi available and business lounges for guests to have their small meetings. • Many a great business man or woman has conducted business and sealed deals on the golf course’s.South Africa a tourism crazy country with increased business interest we would be naive not to promote business packages with GOLF,as we have some of the finest Golf Courses in the world.

29. Sustainable Tourism / Eco / Green Tourism Not only do these staff members and certified safari guides receive financial support from your stay, but they are also delighted to meet travellers from around the world and share their unique culture and the fragile wildlife of Africa with others. Therefore, your stay is contributing to supporting the locals while you receive remarkable services and cultural expansion. Staying at an accommodation that implements wildlife conservation efforts enables you to enjoy a luxurious vacation with exceptional safari experiences, while contributing to create a healthier environment for all. Many of these accommodations hire local villagers to run these wildlife conservation programs. Depending on the accommodation, some employ locals to maintain and plant tree seedlings, help communities establish effective economic and environmentally sustainable practices, enforce anti-poaching laws, reduce human / wildlife conflict, and much more. This win-win situation allows locals to receive pay for their time working to create a more sustainable environment, economy, and community for their families to live in, while you enjoy an unforgettable vacation in natural surroundings that are completely free from toxins and pollution. Participating in a sustainable tour or spending a day volunteering at a local children’s orphanage is one of the most rewarding and inspirational experiences one could have. When you take part in a sustainable tour or volunteer, you have the ability to explore a world and culture that is both enriching and powerful in its spiritual impact.

30. Transformation Strategy In transformimg sustainable tourism and eco-tourism as is highlighted by Safari Hills,we can take a leaf out of their text on what needs to be done. Although Africa as a whole has been spoken about,S Africa has to be closer to achieving its eco-tourism and sustainable tourism plans than the rest of the continent. Our natural resources are humungous and we are to prove sustainability of this environment by putting more pressure on tourism bodies and the public to abide by the laws of preservation.We cannot afford to lose tourists coming to our country due to any negativity associated with nature and a clean environment.More communication between the department of tourism and the municipalities should take place regarding the disposal of waste and waste products. In South Africa we don’t have enough knowledge and incentive to understand the impact of pollution and disposing of waste. Awareness and reinforcing habit is the major problem. Eco-Tourism is one of the newer trends that has yet to achieve its full potential in SA.

31. SUMMARY A growing and successful tourism industry requires all the relevant role players to create an environment and experience that leaves the tourists wanting to come back for more. This needs to be driven by dedicated and passionate people of the various government and tourism bodies . In my opinion, this is an area that requires much attention.