The Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) is inviting locals to submit proposals “for community-based tourism initiatives to rebuild the local travel and leisure industry.”
Gauteng tourism suffers losses due to COVID-19
In a statement, the tourism authority revealed that due to the ravaging COVID-19 outbreak, many businesses were forced into closure, leaving gaps in an industry that’s failed to pick up steam since the onset of the pandemic.
With the big players ousted from participating in the industry, this presents a crucial opportunity for small businesses, says Fisokuhle Mbatha, the Head of Destination, Planning and Development at GTA.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has forced key role players in the industry with large or small businesses to exit the space because their businesses are no longer viable… We need to turn back to the basics and request the government to introduce incentives that will re-stimulate the interest of people to return,” Mbatha noted.
In a report published in April 2021, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) found that foreign arrivals dropped by 71% from just over 15. 8million in 2019 to less than five million in 2020.
More than 76.3% of 2020’s tourists came from the SADC region and stayed in South Africa for an average of five days. With the international community completely discouraged from crossing into our shores, this has had an adverse impact on the tourism sector, and nowhere has this been felt more than in Gauteng.
Already, the province is in the throes of a fourth wave brought on by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. According to recent data shared by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Gauteng accounted for more than 71% of new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.
#COVID19 UPDATE: A total of 46,708 tests were conducted in the last 24hrs, with 11,125 new cases, which represents a 23.8% positivity rate. A further 1 #COVID19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89,966 to date pic.twitter.com/KSIrqfyHjE
— NICD (@nicd_sa) December 5, 2021
How to submit your proposal to the tourism authority
However, the tourism authority is taking a proactive approach in rebooting the industry and calls are being made to locals with innovative ideas to submit proposals for community-based initiatives.
Practical ideas that serve the immediate needs of the tourism industry will be favoured, Mbatha revealed.
“Five years is a benchmark period within tourism that we know is necessary to at least make sure that the project/business is starting to become profitable. Therefore, the GTA intends to come up with projects that will, over the next five years, be sustainable and create opportunities for further growth. We will invest both financial resources as well as non-financial resources through training and market access to tap directly into the tourism industry,” he revealed.
Applicants interested in the initiative must cover the following themes in their submission:
- Project profile: project definition, background and purpose, market analysis, product and service development, marketing, financial data, organisational structure, ownership, risk factors, and conclusion.
- Partnership approach: the project proposal must clearly outline the envisaged financial and/or non-financial partnership between the parties [client (GTA) and respondent].
- Target location and beneficiaries: the proposed project must be targeted at previously marginalised groups of society (such as women, people with disabilities, and youth) and be located within the Gauteng geographic area. Note: Where a specific piece of land is central to the delivery of the project, a letter confirming the right to use the land for the proposed activity is required.
- Project value: the value of each proposal will be assessed for support based primarily on the principles of community-based tourism and secondarily on its viability and feasibility prospects.
Submissions are open until Thursday 9 November 2021 at 10:00 and must be mailed to [email protected].
These are the documents that must accompany your proposal:
- Respondents’ details: name and position, contact details
- Company profile: name and location; background; number of years in operation; management team and structure; experience of implementing projects such as the proposed initiative.