Tourism will be harmed by new Bill – Wesgro

Interested parties, including Wesgro and the Western Cape provincial government, have slammed the Tourism Amendment Bill, saying it could damage the sector in Cape Town. ‘The tourism sector in the Western Cape supports more than 300 000 jobs, contributing tens of billions of rands to the provincial economy. Our top priority will be to ensure that the sector continues to thrive, so that even more people can access opportunities in the province. We will not support regulations that do not achieve this objective,’ said Wesgro’s Tim Harris. According to a Cape Argus report, Cape Town Tourism’s Enver Duminy said the Bill in its current form suggested that the Tourism Minister may have the power to put in place regulations. The Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry said it hoped the latest amendments would not cost visitors more. The chamber’s Geoff Jacobs said: ‘We would encourage regulations that will improve the tourism experience and help the industry grow. We do not want regulations that will increase costs for visitors. We are strongly opposed to red tape that will create an administrative burden for Airbnb and B&B operators.’