Eastern Cape working hard to revitalise tourism industry

Just three years ago, the tourism sector in the Eastern Cape contributed R11bn to the provincial GDP.

However, the devastation caused by Covid-19 to the sector — one of the hardest-hit industries — has seen the contribution to the provincial GDP nosediving.

However, economic development, environmental affairs and tourism (Dedeat) MEC Mlungisi Mvoko did not say how much the sector was contributing to the GDP at present.

Mvoko revealed the R11bn figure during the launch of Tourism Month in the province at the Cradock Four Memorial Site in Cradock on Friday. 

“In 2018 alone, 104,000 people in the Eastern Cape worked in the tourism sector with an estimated GDP contribution of R11bn, and this is the success story we are fighting hard to materialise once more for our people and their livelihoods,” he said.

Mvoko’s statistics come a month after Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the second quarter showed that the province had shed 66,000 jobs during this period, when it had created 65,000 in the previous quarter.

The Eastern Cape’s unemployment rate now stands at  47.1% — the highest in SA.

Mvoko said his department, SA Tourism and the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) were working closely with local event organisers to ensure the sector bounced back.

“In this part of the world, we have the Karoo food festival that we also support because of its community beneficiation.

“Furthermore, through ECPTA, we have been partnering with local tourism organisation to host influencers and media to the region, resulting in positive media coverage including a robust marketing mix of billboards, radio, television and print advertising of the region’s key tourism experiences for local travel audiences,” he said.

“All of these form part of the provincial government’s economic reconstruction and recovery plan that is being led by Dedeat and implemented by ECPTA.”

Mvoko said the province had also launched recovery initiatives that included making funds available to save jobs, and R115m had been redirected to towards the recovery of the economy. Of that, R19m was set aside for the tourism sector. 

ECPTA CEO Vuyani Dayimani said the sector had had to be innovative in how it approached the industry.

This included having virtual tours to market the province as the old model did not apply during the pandemic.

Dayimani said package offerings needed to consider how to attract young people.

“If we want young people to be involved in tourism, we need to show them what’s available and making access easily available.

“We also need to curate packages and activities so they align with school holidays.”

He said they had successfully punted the Eastern Cape as an adventure province and were now trying to increase domestic tourism using the tagline #ECYours2Explore.

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