Ward 2 Development Forum

Tourism Act

Properties3
descriptionThe national tourism law. For the valley its key rule is that anyone who guides visitors for reward must be registered as a tourist guide with the Provincial Registrar, which matters for heritage and nature guides trained for the Heritage Trail.
tagstheme/tourism, theme/heritage, lang/en
aliasesTourism Act 3 of 2014, tourist guide registration

4 min read

A working page, open for review

This page is published while it is still being checked, so that people who know this law, and people it affects, can correct it. It explains the law in plain language, and it does not give legal advice or speak for the Forum, the municipality, or any other body. The official text, linked under At a glance, is what counts. Before you act on anything here, read the official text or ask the body named under Who to ask. To correct or add to this page, see How to Submit.

Questions for reviewers:

  1. For the Greyton Tourism Bureau, the Adventure Hub, and the Genadendal Mission Museum: are there registered tourist guides working in the valley now, and in which categories?
  2. Which training for heritage or nature guides leads to registration, and is any of it offered near the valley?

The Tourism Act is the national law for tourism in South Africa [IC]. Among other things, it sets up a system for registering tourist guides, run by a Provincial Registrar in each province [IC]. For the valley this is its most practical rule: a person may not work as a tourist guide unless they are registered (section 57) [IC]. Ideas for the valley that would train and employ heritage and nature guides, such as the Valley of Grace Heritage Trail, depend on it.

What the letters in square brackets mean

Facts on this page are followed by a tag that shows where they come from.

  • [IC] Independently Corroborated. Confirmed by the official text of the law, or by at least two sources that do not depend on each other.
  • [MS] Mission-Sourced. Comes from one party’s own documents or statements. It has not been checked against other sources.
  • [TBV] To Be Verified. Seems likely, but nobody has confirmed it yet.

Sentences without a tag under What it means in the valley are the Forum’s reading of how the rule could apply here. They are not legal advice.

At a glance

Full nameTourism Act, 2014
CitationAct 3 of 2014
Made byParliament
Administered byThe national Department of Tourism; tourist guides are registered by the Provincial Registrar of Tourist Guides in each province
In force since2014 [TBV]
Official textParliament of South Africa; LawLibrary

What it does

  • Provincial Registrars. The MEC responsible for tourism in each province must appoint a Provincial Registrar of Tourist Guides, who keeps the register, handles complaints, and disciplines guides (section 49) [IC].
  • Registration. A person who wants to be a tourist guide applies to a Provincial Registrar and pays a fee [IC]. The applicant must show the competence the Act requires (section 51) [IC]. Registration lasts three years and must be renewed (section 50) [IC].
  • A code of conduct. Registered guides must follow a code of conduct and ethics (section 52) [IC].
  • No guiding without registration. Section 57 prohibits working as a tourist guide without being registered [IC].

What it means in the valley

For heritage and nature guides. A resident who leads paying visitors through Genadendal’s Church Square, along Greyton’s leiwater, or into the nature reserve is acting as a tourist guide, and needs to be registered. Training that does not lead to registration leaves guides unable to work lawfully on their own account. The Forum reads this as a reason for any guide training tabled at the Forum, including the Heritage Trail’s, to be planned around a recognised qualification from the start.

For tourism businesses. Businesses that sell guided experiences, such as those marketed through the Adventure Hub Greyton, need their guides to be registered [TBV]. A host who welcomes guests to a home or a farm is not a guide simply by doing so; the line is drawn by what the guide does and is paid for [TBV].

Learning pathways. The rule links tourism to education: a guide qualification is a skills pathway that the Education and Skills priority could support.

Where it touches this site

Who to ask

What is still open

  • How many registered guides work in the valley, and in which categories.
  • Which accredited training is available near the valley.

Have your say

If you are a guide in the valley, or can confirm or correct anything on this page, contact the moderators through How to Submit.

References

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