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And so it is. Micheal’s and Christoper’s frustration drips from there posts. I do not know Mrs Saunders but she has to be a VIP in this world like so many others. This article is proof of what exactly is wrong. 512 Words were spent analising unemployment, money, case studies, targets and to top it off, a tad of motivational support. 272 Words (nearly 50%) were written on who Mrs Saunders is (I am not saying she has done this herself). If you can get this far with a precidential award for talking so much, and acheiving so little in practical terms (ie tourism figures across the world of all counties), and then look at SA stats., just think what award you can get for doing somthing. These awards should be going to the people that wake up at 04h00 in the morning, leaving their desperate loved ones who lives in a horrible mess alone, take a risk with their lives every day with non existent reliable public transport, to serve someone that they do not even know and who will be out of their lives in no time. Top ths off with a wonderful salary. The awards should be going to many who take business risks to the point of bancrupcy, to try and stay on top. And then if they do, after working 18 hours (or longer) per day, 7 days a week for years on end, they are called 'lucky'. I will give someone of the goverment a reward if they come to my office to ask me, Pieter what can we do to help or support? You, collectively as a goverment with all your support groups, you want an award?, go out there and get working on it and prove to SA that you deserve one. What is a presidential award in any case. Is this man / woman on top not there to SERVE????

Agree

Like with Government - there is a plan with no plan for another plan! No clear answer on how it will be changed around!

1.Stop BEE immediately.
2. Find the travellers via Agents - not via big corporates! Go after the SMME Outbound Tour Operators and bring them to African soil for a 1st hand experience - leave politics and race cards and apartheid behind! People can think for themselves.
3. Use bankrupt SAA to carry Agents & Outbound Operators to SA and offer a 10 000 complement group on a Fam trip - subject to the Course on south Africa and nominated by business owners
4. Offer Mentorship programmes by allocating Funding to the Owners of businesses to assist young Black Tourism Entrepreneurs
5. Force ALL Provinces and Tourism Agencies to market SOUTH AFRICA 1st and foremost then the regions - then the towns and cities - (it should be a cohesive and collective marketing campaign)
6. Stop sending Government officials and cronies on lavish overseas trips to market SA - they do not know anything about marketing and business development. Rather pay every SA Operator and Agent to travel to international countries for a 2 week client-finding mission with full presentation about their own product (use bankrupt SAA again) with a registered and controlled database of presentations.

And much more

We are sleeping! Do it the American way or other proven way - NOT the African way of incompetent and lazy officials

I agree 100%

What ever politicians touch they damage. Economy is driven by the business sector. The government is there to assist business to grow. Previous comments were spot on. Who wants to see an ignorant politician discussing hotels, services etc, when he knows nothing about it. A few minutes ago that politician was a revolutionist, now he wants to pretend he is an expert industry leader. Just breathing the air and wasting time, money and opportunity. Your comments were rather spot on. Pay for businesses to go and do their thing. I did agree with your comments. The water crisis was not something that should have even been discussed or highlighted. Whoever went and blew this trumpet of information, except someone who intended to sabotage the industry. The politicians are indicating clearly that they do not want tourism to grow. Every action taken by them has been to destroy a once thriving industry. South African businesses would have solved issues of water shortage, it was no need to discuss it or highlight it. Classic example of negative marketing. Highlight the positive down play the negative. Prices, the reality is that South Africa has outpriced itself. Tourists have many choices. Why come to an EXPENSIVE, DANGEROUS, POVERTY 3RD WORLD COUNTRY. Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, all have wild life. So really what has South Africa got to offer. The possibility of being murdered, high jacked and catching TB. Really is this the best we can offer. One cannot even leave a tourist to walk the promenades. Trying to curtail Air BnB, what for. This should be an indicator. Tourist cannot afford the hotel rooms so are looking for cheaper. Read the information clearly, stop blocking it. The hotel industry should realise that anything above R1,000 is no longer affordable. Anyone who has been in the industry long enough has seen this all happen before. Charge an affordable rate. Instead of blocking new initiatives. Let the wheels turn, and change with it. But probably that is not their intention, it looks like a classic case of sabotage.

Pieter, Christopher and Michael are spot on with their assessments. can someone get to the new Tourism Minister? Will it help? Either way we have to try everything possible and support CR's positive tourism press statements at the recent Indaba - for what its worth

I deal with the European and Scandinavian market and have definitely seen tourism diminish.
Of course if you think every visitor and economic refugee from Africa is a tourist and creates work for locals, you will not agree with me.

People do research and Kenya and Tanzania is a lot safer than SA.
Just look at the roads in Mpumalanga, a deathtrap from Belfast to Graskop to mention just 1 stretch.

I agree with the sentiments that hotels are crazy overpriced. Just go and look online .
Cape Town city center is out of bounds for tourists in general and the so called tourism execs do not even walk around in town during the day or evening.

Why would we send career bureaucrats overseas to market this country?
Should we not bring those that decide here and showcase ourselves?

This 'government' does not take it seriously!
Only seriousness is their own personal interest!