Tourist guides to receive relief funding: Here’s how to ‘apply’

Some good news for tourist guides, who are now eligible to receive a relief payment of R1 500 per month to mitigate the devastating financial effects of COVID-19. 

The department has been able to set aside R30 million to assist those in need, with the tourism sector one of the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic’s forced shutdown of the economy.

The Department of Tourism said on Saturday 6 June that while it isn’t much, the amount will be paid monthly for three months and should assist with some of the country’s freelance tourist guides’ immediate distress. 

How do you apply? 

The process is going to work on a “no application” process, whereby the Department of Home Affairs’ database will be used to source tourist guides and from there the Department of Tourism will begin allocating payments. 

“Information on guides will be sourced from the databases maintained by the Provincial Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to verify and validate where necessary,” the department said. 

The department urged all tourist guides to ensure that their updated details are on the DHA system, so as to ensure that the process can be managed expediently. 

“Provincial Registrars will ensure that all the relevant information on they respective databases are correct, particularly the contact details of all their tourist guides,” said Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane.

“We encourage all Tourist Guides to provide their updated contact information to their respective provincial registrars. This is crucial, as careless payments will be made in order to expedite the payment process.” 

“Once the exercise is completed, freelance tourist guides that meet the requirements will receive payment relief of R1 500 per month for three months. It may not be much, but we believe that it will go a long way in covering some of the guides’ immediate needs.”

Who is eligible? 

The following criteria apply to those hoping to receive the relief funding, where applicant must:

• Be registered freelance tourist guides;
• Operate independently; 
• Have no formal business in place;
• Have received no relief from the UIF;
• Have received no relief form the Tourism Relief Fund.