This Report calls for a partnership between government, industry, communities, and labour that places the objective of employment-creating decent work, and development of the tourism industry front and centre in tourism planning in South Africa. This applies to current Covid-19 recovery plans, the master plan process, and future sectoral planning.

The tourism sector has been prioritised by the Government in South Africa, including through the establishment of a stand-alone Department and Ministry in 2009. Tourism’s prioritisation is due, in no small part, to its employment intensity, particularly its ability to absorb relatively low-skilled workers across the country. Despite this, to date there has been little policy and strategy focus on employment in the sector.

At a global level, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has guidelines on decent work and socially responsible tourism. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) highlight the importance of tourism for its employment impacts. Despite this, there are few examples of global employment-focused tourism policies that advocate for decent work and include clear strategies on how to achieve this end.

The tourism sector – globally and in South Africa – has been particularly hard hit by Covid-19 and many jobs were lost. It is likely to recover, at least in part, and that recovery, as well as the growth thereafter, needs to ensure more attention to employment and workers. Strategies are required that target expanding decent work in tourism and drive improvements in human resource development.

In pursuit of decent work across the economy, COSATU has requested the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) to assist Labour in a national masterplan process through the provision of background research and other support services. The purpose of this Report is to support Labour in developing and justifying policy positions in the tourism economy. While a draft tourism masterplan was developed in 2019/2020, it has since been neglected in favour of the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan (TSRP) which was adopted by Cabinet in April 2021. Objections from organised labour to abandoning the Master Plan process have recently seen the Government agree to reinstating the masterplan process for Tourism.