The Department of Tourism has established a number of incentives and support programmes for the tourism sector in recent years. The Department has provided a brief outline of what each of these programmes offers:
1) Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP): Offers partial grant funding support (50% to 90% up to R1 million) on the cost of retrofitting tourism facilities with energy and water efficiency equipment and systems based on the outcome of a resource efficiency audit. The first stage of the application process involves a resource efficiency audit and proposed water and energy efficiency solutions, the cost of which is fully covered under the GTIP programme, followed by a second phase where an applicant can apply for grant funding support (50% to 90% up to R1 million) on the cost of installing relevant technologies and equipment recommended in the resource efficiency audit during the first stage. Please note that the programme is administered through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) on behalf of the Department of Tourism and all applications need to be submitted to the IDC. Further information and the application form is available on the IDC website (https://www.idc.co.za/green-tourism-incentive-programme/).
A new window for applications to the GTIP opened on 2 May 2023 and will remain open until the end of June 2022. Attached is a GTIP brochure that you can distribute to your members.
2) Tourism Grading Support programme (TGSP): Offers discounts of between 80% and 90% on grading assessment fees for accommodation and meeting venues that apply for star grading by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. The application process is integrated into, and forms part of the online grading application process of the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. Please see www.tourismgrading.co.za for more details.
3) Tourism Transformation Fund (TTF): Offers a combination of debt finance and grant funding for new and expansion tourism development projects with majority black shareholding. It is important to note that the programme is administered through the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) on behalf of the Department of Tourism and the application follows the same process as that of a normal loan application to the NEF. Loans for tourism projects that are approved by the NEF will then be considered for a grant funding portion of 50% of the loan amount up to maximum of R5 million. Further information on the Tourism Transformation Fund, the programme guidelines and NEF loan application form is available on the NEF website (https://www.nefcorp.co.za/products-services/tourism-transformation-fund/).
4) Market Access Support Programme (MASP): Offers partial financial support towards the cost of flights, accommodation and exhibition fees to qualifying small tourism enterprises to participate and exhibit at selected international tourism marketing platforms. The programme guidelines and application form are available on the department’s website (www.tourism.gov.za) under the Tourism Incentive Programme banner (https://www.tourism.gov.za/CurrentProjects/TIP/Pages/Tourism-Incentive-Programme.aspx)
