The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global economy tremendously with some industries struggling to keep afloat.
The hospitality industry is one of those industries that have been hit hard by the outbreak and to mitigate the impact, the Department of Tourism has made an additional R200 million available to assist SMMEs in the tourism and hospitality sector who are under stress.
Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has more on the fund and why BBB-EE compliance is one of the conditions for SMMEs to qualify for the tourism relief fund.
“In terms of tourism statistics, we were able to get a positive outcome in January and February, however, the major impact on the industry will be seen from March and we anticipate that that will continue until next year. We hope we can recover later this year on the domestic front depending on how we contain the virus.” — Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, Minister – Tourism
She says the BBB-EE act doesn’t make it optional at any given time for a minister to decide how to implement the law.
