Oh but you are sneaky Government....sneaky sneaky!!

I wish you could see me now.....I've got one hand on my hip, and with the other I'm waving my index finger at you! To me, you are this 2 year old that is troublesome, and yet oh so lovable....err, okay, maybe scrap that last bit! I normally like sneaky...I do a lot of sneaky stuff myself, but I'm not so sure I'm all that comfortable with you being sneaky.

In his State of the Nation Address on the 10th February 2011 (read here if you are interested... and good luck!), the honourable President Jacob Zuma stated that for every tourist, 16 jobs are created in the country! Having studied and currently working in the industry myself, this immediately caught my attention. (side note: kudos to Gareth Cliff for his drinking game- by the end of the speech, I may have had a bladder full of Sprite zero, but I also had heard the entire speech - for the first time ever!). Where was I? Right...16 jobs for each tourist! 16 jobs!! That on its own strengthened what I already knew - that in a country so rich in diversity, we are sitting on a goldmine; one we aren't digging into enough! But hey, that's a whole song and dance for another day! This got me thinking - 16 jobs for each tourist? But now, how much of this is domestic tourism? Being the ever so inquisitive, or rather, young and curious brain-box that I am, I decided to visit my good old friend google! (side note: have you ever googled 'google'? I did today...silliness!)

According to South African Tourism, in 2009, the total spend on domestic tourism amounted to R22.4 billion...yes, billion! It is said that domestic tourism accounts for 75% of total tourism in South Africa. This being said, foreign tourism still brings in more revenue. And just in case you are wondering, I'm purposely using the 2009 stats....in 2010 we had the soccer world cup, a once off event that saw the numbers go sky high!
You are probably wondering, my sweet young government, why I am calling you sneaky, and feeding you these numbers? Simple really! Last Thursday, a colleague of mine mentioned a story she read about the Home Affairs price hikes. My heart almost fell out of my chest - really, for a second there I could feel it beating in my hand! Getting a passport (and pretty much all other documents) is now going to cost more than double what it used to!!! I thought about this, and I was boggled....double the amount?? But why?? Reading the article, I saw the answer! Apparently, among other baseless reasons, the 'new' passports would come with 'additional security features'. Well, I really hope this passport comes fitted with an alarm system, GPS, and has its own bodyguard, because I swear if my R400 passport gets stolen from or along with my handbag, there is going to be hell to pay!! R400 passport...just saying that sounds absurd! I wonder if insurance companies will cover passports too now? After all, why not capitalise on this ludicrousness?

Putting all of this together, it started to make sense; if domestic tourism contributes so much to our economy, and promoting it is turning out to be a significant failure (I don't ever see people going wild about sho't left - I stand corrected), then why not make it 'the only option'? By putting up barriers and fences, in this instance price, you have managed to make international travel an almost unnecessary expense! Exaggerating much? No, I'm not! Take for an example a family comprising of two parents, and three children - the costs of acquiring passports for all will be the equivalent of a 2 night stay at a fairly decent hotel. Travel outside of the country will now cost an additional R2000, which is probably why they would rather stay and travel within the country!

This is my theory, and I could be wrong! Or, as others already see it, this could just be some sort of money-making scheme to get the rich richer, and the poor poorer! But if my theory is on the mark, then I have to hand it to you....it's brilliant! Restricting people's movement and keeping them where you want for your own gain - really brilliant! It sort of sounds like something the apartheid regime would do (or rather, did....can you say, 'dompass'?) - but hey, to each his own!

Sneaky, under-handed tactics...very very sneaky! Oh my sweet sweet 2 year old...I don't quite like the little monster you are turning into!