The department of tourism has come under fire for failing to report honestly on the performance of its tourism incentive programmes TIPs, which critics say are mired in bureaucratic red tape and have stifled the growth of small, medium and micro enterprises SMMEs.
Designed to transform the sector by empowering small entrepreneurs through funding, TIPs have instead left hundreds of applicants stranded.
Suspension of fund sparks criticismThe suspension of the Tourism Equity Fund TEF without notifying parliaments tourism portfolio committee was seen as undermining transformation objectives.
