Two-tier pricing model mooted
Government is reviewing tourism-related policies which will address special pricing for South Africans to encourage them to travel locally.
Prices for accommodation at lodges, game reserves and other tourist attractions are said to be too expensive for locals, thus preventing them from exploring their country.
Speaking at a press conference at the International Tourism Trade Fair in Berlin, Deputy Tourism Minister Fish Mahlalela said discussions were under way about different pricing models.
There are views that are not official that say there should be a combination of international and local prices or, alternatively, the low-demand season be opened for locals (at special prices).
‘We are engaging with the private sector to try to convince them,’ he said.
TimesLIVE reports that Mahlalela said that during the pandemic some establishments were sustained by support from domestic travellers.
‘We want to see most holiday products move towards a two-tier system.’
According to statistics from SA Tourism, domestic holiday trips last year reached 9.2m – an increase of 30.5% compared with 2019, before the pandemic.
Business Day reports that SA Tourism COO Nomasonto Ndlovu said important lessons have been learned from the pandemic. 'What we learnt during Covid is that the world won’t come to save us. We were on our own and had to rely heavily on the domestic market ... and South Africans responded positively to the call to travel in their own country. Many of them discovered new things.’
Mahlalela called on international investors to come to SA, especially to the rural areas with tourist attractions. Investment can be in the form of hotels, B&Bs and lodges, he said.
‘People are already visiting those rural tourist attractions, but there is no accommodation so they do day visits. We want them to stay longer,’ he said.
Mahlalela said the government offers incentives to encourage investment in SA from various development finance institutions. But that is not enough.
‘Hence we are appealing to investors with access to equity finance to partner our development finance institutions to support new products to keep up with increasing demand.'
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