South Africa’s Department of Tourism has established an intervention to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector.
According to a statement released by the department, the intervention is a R200 million Tourism Relief Fund which will provide a once-off capped grant assistance to Small Micro and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMMEs) to ensure sustainability during and post the implementation of government measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in South Africa.
“We acknowledge the difficulties experienced by businesses during this time, hence the need to support the industry and communities to cope with the negative effects of this pandemic,” said the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane.
Limited to R50 000 per entity, the grant funding can be used to bankroll expenses towards fixed costs, operational costs, supplies and other pressure cost items.
Businesses are to apply for the Tourism Relief Fund from April 7, 2020 to May 30, 2020. The Department will give preference to enterprises with the highest score in terms of the criteria, which serve as a pre-qualification and a panel of experts will conduct the final evaluation in terms of functionality.
Categories eligible to apply for the Tourism Relief Fund include accommodation establishments with hotels, resort properties, bed and breakfast, guest houses, lodges and back packers; Hospitality and related services with restaurants, conference venues and professional catering; travel and related services with tour operators, travel agents, tourist guides, car rental companies and Coach Operators.
