Minister Patricia de Lille has approved approximately R6m in financial support for 25 South African businesses to attend and exhibit at international tourism trade shows, as part of the Department of Tourism’s Incentive Programme.

Market Access Support Programme (MASP)

Through the Market Access Support Programme (MASP), the department provides financial support annually to qualifying small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to cover their costs to exhibit at national and international tourism trade shows.

This programme has been implemented to stimulate growth, development, and transformation in the South African tourism sector.

Financial support for international exhibitions

Minister de Lille approved financial support to 15 South African tourism businesses to travel to and exhibit at IMEX, which takes place in Las Vegas, USA, in October this year. The Minister also approved financial support for 10 businesses to attend the World Youth Student Travel Conference taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, in September.

“This support is in line with our goals as articulated in the Tourism Sector Master Plan to reignite demand as the tourism sector is a key contributor to economic growth and job creation.

"By enabling SMEs greater access to international markets, we are supporting them to attract more business, expand their businesses, and thereby increase tourism’s contribution to economic growth and job creation,” Minister de Lille said.

Programme benefits

Through the MASP, the department covers the costs of beneficiary businesses for flights, accommodation, exhibition costs, and shipping of materials. IMEX America is one of the world’s largest tourism trade shows for the global meetings, events, and incentive travel sectors.

Attending the show offers attendees access to buyers and suppliers from all over the world, with more than 3,300 exhibitors from over 180 countries. Attending IMEX America means that South African businesses have an opportunity to meet over 3,000 global decision-makers with real buying power in one of the biggest meeting markets in the world.

The World Youth Student Travel Conference, taking place in Portugal, is one of the world’s leading trade events for youth, student, and educational travel. It brings together leading buyers and sellers of youth travel products, top service providers, and industry thought leaders.

Application and adjudication

The department advertises regular application calls for the MASP programme. Once applications are received, an adjudication panel selects qualifying enterprises with compliant applications. The adjudication committee then makes a recommendation to the Minister on businesses to approve MASP funding.

For the latest round of MASP support, tourism businesses from Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Gauteng, the Free State, Mpumalanga, and the Eastern Cape have been approved for financial support to attend global travel trade shows.

“The MASP programme is one of the most impactful programmes by the Department of Tourism to provide support to tourism businesses to give them exposure to international markets and thousands of potential new clients and partners.

"By attending these shows, these businesses can market their offerings and secure deals. Many beneficiaries in the past have made significant business deals through attending these shows with the department’s support," Minister de Lille said.

Future opportunities

The Department of Tourism encourages tourism businesses to keep an eye on the Department’s website and social media pages for regular calls for applications and the application processes.

"As we look to elevate the profile of tourism and grow the number of arrivals to South Africa, it is vital that we support tourism businesses who need help to gain exposure to international and national markets.

"We wish the businesses well for their travels and hope they secure additional business and contacts that will help grow the South African tourism sector," Minister de Lille concluded.

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