Tourism is regarded as one of major stimulants of the economy and can also be used as a driver of sustainable job creation. Many developing countries, particularly the Caribbean Islands in Asia, as well as Pacific nations, have built their economies using tourism as a bedrock. Their infrastructural projects are funded with tourism in mind. This strategy cascades through to all spheres of government, including the municipal level. It is therefore no wonder that those countries can continue to sustain job creation in their respective economies, owing to their adequately funded tourism initiatives.
With that backdrop in mind, compare our tourism board to that of other cities in South Africa alone. For instance, the Mangaung municipality in Bloemfontein with less annual budget turnover than our council, injects over R40 million into their tourism board. Whereas our tourism board is funded with a meager R11 million and expected to perform miracles of marketing our destination to international markets.
It is no secret that tourism can account for thousands of jobs, especially in the hospitality industry as well as sustaining many small enterprises in the city. Our tourism must be taken seriously and be prioritised by our senior metro officials. We are told of budgetary constraints and yet we see money being wasted on botched events and unauthorized expenditure. How many budgetary items could be more important than tourism? Tourism could help generate much needed revenue through the inevitable increased usage of rates related services.
There are various duplicate costs within the EDTA directorate such as the marketing item for other sub-directorates. Instead, this function should be reconciled under one unit in order to avoid duplicate roles and confusion.
Furthermore, other alternative revenue generators must be explored. For example, strategic events can be handed-over to the tourism board to manage and generate income for self-sustainable funding. We must also review items whose budget can be reduced in order to increase the current budget of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism.
Therefore I will table a motion in our next Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture committee meeting, which recommends the following:
- A report must be tabled by NMBT in conjunction with the Executive Director of Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture (EDTA) directorate at the next meeting of EDTA committee, which explores possible revenue generating models for the purpose of additional funding for Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism in this current financial year.
- The Executive Director of EDTA, must review non-critical items within his directorate and table a report which outlines amendments on budget-items with vote numbers, this in order to increase funding to the NMBT in this financial year.
Knight Mali
Port Elizabethan
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NMBT must stay out of events. No private event organiser will approach them with ideas in the fear of having it hijacked. As for lack of funding, please let us know how the R11-million is being spent, and then provide a comprehensive business plan on what any additional funds will be used for.
NMBT presented a business plan to us and it’s quite comprehensive and shows an operation budget of close to R10m alone. So at the moment we are funding that entity just to keep the doors open, they don’t even have funds to deliver on their mandate of marketing our destination. The business plan is a public document which you can obtain in a copy of a current EDTA agenda. Ours is based on principle that jobs are critical for our local economy and tourism can help boost that endeavor.
No argument with the importance of tourism as a job creator. Of concern is the DA’s support for effectively nationalising events in Nelson Mandela Bay by favouring a state entity (NMBT) over private enterprise. I quote “…strategic events can be handed-over to the tourism board to manage and generate income for self-sustainable funding”. The role of NMBT is to create an environment in which the private sector can flourish – and create sustainable jobs. Not to go into competition with event organisers. All events, by the way, are “strategic” in one form or another.
They want to be client/service provider to themselves, in fact that is what is happening in this municipality indirectly.you will find that, certain office bearers own events companies that they never declare to council or community,and corruptly assign themselves to stage these events. you know very well Ed that, I started organising events at your offices in Bird 2001 with Andile and I have got to be considered or assigned by these corrupt office bearers to stage any events or even get the approval of my events’ proposals instead they hijack them. my recent event failed because I did not have the budget left to fly a band to here for a performance after spending my own cash to organise it due to failure of getting buyin from corporate. without quality signature events Cape Town Int jazz fest, Macufe, its always going to be hard to attract tourists and boost tourism and visiting of the bay.
I think the word “nationalising events” is sensationalising this matter… in fact, if you read the Herald today on page 4, under heading “Municipal legal team unproductive”.. it’s become a phenomenon in this metro council to outsource every task and yet the rate-payers are paying salaries of unproductive staff. By the way this is one of short-term measures until NMBT can have sustainable revenue generators… we support businesses and that’s why we support the boost of tourism as it would benefit SMME’s in the city.