Cape Town - While the country is being encouraged to use less electricity for National Energy Month this May and help mitigate current energy constraints, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has called on tourism businesses to apply for the Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP).
The programme incentivises private sector tourism businesses, especially small to medium businesses, by reducing the cost of installing energy and water-saving measures at their tourism establishments.
It is envisaged that this will lower their cost of operations and facilitate increased competitiveness and operational sustainability in the tourism sector over the long term.
De Lille encouraged all eligible tourism businesses to apply for the programme, which was launched by the Department of Tourism to support private sector tourism enterprises to adopt more responsible tourism practices and move towards the sustainable management and usage of water and energy.
“Accelerating climate action in tourism is of utmost importance for the resilience of the sector as well as strengthening adaptive capacity.
“This programme is also part of the government’s efforts to reduce demand on the national electricity grid and is a stellar example of government investing in water and energy efficiency measures which not only address the impacts of climate change, but also the impacts of economic and electricity constraints we are all confronted with,” De Lille said.
The GTIP was launched in 2017 and this is the eighth application window for the programme. Businesses have until June 30 to apply. The programme is administered by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) on behalf of the department.
Since the programme was launched, 130 businesses have made successful applications with a total grant value of R76.1 million disbursed to them.
Southern Africa Tourism Services Association COO Hannelie du Toit said: “The energy crisis is impacting heavily on the tourism industry. This is an additional blow after surviving the pandemic and travel bans.”
She said this was why the association welcomed the GTIP and encouraged its members to apply – Satsa even hosted a webinar with GTIP in February this year to facilitate this.
De Lille said: “The development of GTIP was informed by escalating electricity prices, the intensifying pressure on the national energy grid and associated load-shedding conditions, as well as water scarcity and drought conditions which negatively impact the tourism sector.”
Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy added: “It has always been our goal to make Cape Town a truly responsible tourism destination, which is why we support this program. As a member and visitor-centred business, we have always promoted eco-friendly accommodation, sustainable tours, and responsible wildlife experiences,
“However, with the addition of the water and energy crisis affecting South Africa, we have also started engaging with stakeholders to mitigate disruption to the sector and tourism businesses.”