According to the pair, the initiative is “designed to create a knowledge foundation, provide mentorship, and eventually, open markets to black-women-owned small, medium and micro enterprises operating in the tourism sector”.

The programme has selected 25 female applicants from each province in the country to benefit from the initiative on the basis that the main pre-qualifying criteria — that the business is at least 51% black, female owned — was met.

The acting chief operating officer of SA Tourism, Hanneli Slabber, says that the country has seen many tourism businesses and establishments close shop over the past two years due to the impact of the pandemic.

“South African Tourism is committed to doing all [it] can to rebuild and reignite [the] sector. This Women in Tourism initiative is a great tool in contributing to assist many women-owned businesses to be optimally functional and ready to receive domestic, regional, and international travellers as the sector gradually recovers,” she said.

“Many women are still not part of the formal economy and are largely in low-paying jobs compared to their male counterparts. It is time this changed.”

Courtesy of Moneyweb – read full article here.