By Odette Ismail
19 April 2007
Tourism Minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk on Tuesday announced that black South Africans are not benefiting in the country due to the influx of so many tourists coming into the country.
Van Schalkwyk was speaking at the opening of the First Tourism Black Economic Empowerment Charter Council Conference in Johannesburg.
The Cape Argus reported that he told delegates he regrets saying that there is a long way to go in terms of saying that the tourism industry had set an example for the country when it came to Black Economic Empowerment (BEE).
He went on to say that these problems arise in unlisted companies and small-end businesses where figures of BEE employment do not reflect the required percentage.
Schalkwyk says that statistics reveal that out of six provinces, the average of only 15.6% of over 300 bed and breakfast operations were owned by black operators.
Shocking results also found that out of 90 hotels, 4.4% of these hotels are owned by black people and you would just find that 1% of professional caterers are black.
The minister says that the majority of the country’s population did not benefit from South Africa’s tourism boom in the last few years.
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2 comments:
The only reason for this is that all other industries are so over BEEed that non-blacks are marginalised. I work in the UK and all my colleagues going back to SA feel the only way to make an income when they go back is to start their own business.
Tourism is the best place to start your own business so that's exactly what the non-blacks are doing.
Who cares if they are not black owned - they are creating much need jobs for everyone! You clamp down on this industry and again you will see further unemployment.
Friend of mine just did a tourist guide course which he said was infested with old history... maybe that's the difference. Stories like "oh it wasnt so bad anyway". I think that's a very serious problem and most important point about the whole news item.
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