The Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) is reaching out to entrepreneurs in the province to submit proposals for community-based tourism initiatives to rebuild the local travel and leisure industry, which took a massive knock at the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The implementation of these projects will be done through partnership, sponsorship, and collaboration arrangements with the GTA.

Through this process, the GTA hopes to revive tourism in the province and provide an opportunity to advance transformation by enabling black people, women, youth, and people with disabilities to participation.

“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,” says Fisokuhle Mbatha, the Head of Destination, Planning and Development at GTA.

Mbatha notes that tourism is driven by small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) and businesses supported by the government. However, there is currently a serious lack of products and services to sell to the market to revive the industry.

Although people have decided to exit the tourism industry, “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,” he explains.

For this reason, and with the assistance of the national government, the GTA is issuing a call for proposals to ordinary people in Gauteng to be part of reigniting the sector, but also for them to make use of the opportunity to create a sustainable future business.

“More importantly, the GTA wants prospective applicants to play an active role in order to directly benefit. Firstly, we want all projects to be realised and, secondly, to become sustainable,” says Mbatha.

He explains that following the receipt of proposals from communities, the GTA would assess applications from a viability point of view but also from the point of a need, as well as from a practicality point of view.

“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,” notes Mbatha.

Applications for the community-based tourism initiative must detail the following:

• 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.

The following documents must accompany the proposal to be submitted:

• 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.

Submissions and enquiries must be directed to community-tourism@gauteng.net.

The deadline for applications is Thursday, 8 December 2021 at 10 a.m.

Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph
03/12/2021