The Tourism Amendment Bill, which was published in the Government Gazette on April 12 and put up for public comment, has been criticised as being an attack on home-sharing apps such as Airbnb, as well as the “experiences” that are offered via the platform.
The tourism ministry has defended the bill by saying that the clauses dealing with home sharing and tour guiding, which recommend the redefinition of short-term rentals, are simply attempts to regulate competitiveness. This could be done by introducing thresholds, for example, or by defining how many days a place may be rented out for, or for how much. Setting ratios between tour guides and tourists is aimed at the same goal. To quote former tourism minister Derek Hanekom, speaking in April: It’s about “levelling the playing field.”..
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