TBCSA board commits to growing TOMSA

Johannesburg – At a recent management board meeting of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) held in Johannesburg, members of the board have committed themselves to growing the Tourism Marketing Levy (TOMSA).

This according to Mmatšatši Marobe, Chief Executive Officer of the TBCSA – administrators of TOMSA, who said the board agreed that the levy continues to be a necessary commitment by the private sector role players in the tourism industry in support of government’s initiative of marketing South Africa as a preferred tourist destination.

She says since its inception in 1999 the TOMSA levy collectors have collected a staggering R414, 588, 666.56 million. The levy collectors represent the best in our industry, those business people who understand the bigger picture and are willing to participate in TOMSA to grow tourism for the benefit of all our people.

TOMSA monies are collected from a variety of industry role players (car rental, tour operators and accommodation sector, for example) who take a percent of monies charged to their clients for services rendered and contribute it to TOMSA. The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) manages the funds, which is ultimately injected into South Africa Tourism’s destination marketing efforts.

She says that the TBCSA as the one of the founding members of the Tourism Black Economic Empowerment Charter Council (TBEEC) has negotiated for TOMSA levy collectors to receive a three percent score (3%) on the BEE scorecard. “This is one of the milestones that we have achieved so that collectors could be able to enjoy far reaching benefits as role players assisting the country to meet its challenges of helping the previously disadvantaged people to enter the tourism industry.

Marobe says the decision by the management board to assist in growing TOMSA comes after they felt that there were people in the industry deriving benefits from TOMSA without lifting a hand by collecting the levy. “Most of these establishments are full to capacity due to generic marketing of the country by South African Tourism through TOMSA funding amongst others”.

According to Marobe last year only, the country received over eight million visitors and during the first quarter of this year an impressive 3.7 million tourists descended in South Africa. “This is despite being in competition with some of the matured destinations in the world who enjoy large marketing budgets. It is for this reasons that the board felt that some of our challenges in marketing funding can be alleviated by getting more collectors on board.”

She says some of the board members who are managing well know tourism brands have agreed to put measures in place within their respective businesses to ensure that more role players makes contributions towards TOMSA. This will not only assist in putting more financial muscle into South African Tourism marketing budget, but will also ensure that more players are taking part in the transformation of the tourism industry. ”We will be having discussions with these major role players in the industry to reach agreement on the mechanism they intend using to ensure that more product owners and service providers contribute towards TOMSA”. We need to work together with SA Tourism to ensure that South Africa continues to be the most sort after destination in the Africa and the world.

For more information on TOMSA contact our Members Relations & Marketing Manager, Ms. Tanya Jansen van Rensburg at the TBCSA Offices on telephone +27 12 654 7525 or e-mail her on tanyam@tbcsa.travel or visit www.tbcsa.travel .

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