The Department of Tourism has allocated R189 billion for resuscitating small businesses hit hard by COVID-19 travel restrictions, following cabinet approval last week.

The Fund is one of the interventions and enablers outlined in the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan aimed at helping the sector to recover in the short-term and achieve long-term sustainable growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the tourism sector into unprecedented crisis, both locally and globally. Locally, there has been massive job losses as a result of distress businesses in the sector are facing. Small and medium enterprises are the worst affected, with many are facing the possibility of permanent closure.

On how The Tourism Sector Recovery Plan is one of the vehicles through the economic transformation can be achieved, Tourism Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, said” The Recovery Plan contains a set of interventions to protect and rejuvenate supply, reignite demand and strengthen enabling capability to support the sector’s recovery. The goal is to preserve jobs and livelihoods within the sector, facilitate the creation of new job opportunities, match demand and supply as well as strengthen transformation in the sector including empowerment of women, youth and people with disabilities in the sector.”

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