Tourism minister Patricia de Lille has officially made a big decision regarding the R1 billion Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal proposed earlier this year.
The proposed partnership was said to be a strategic plan to boost the South African tourism industry as it was one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw travel come to a halt during the lockdown.
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With Spurs being one of London's most valuable football brands, it was felt the deal would once again create a demand for leisure, event, and business travel, thus improving South Africa's position in the global travel community.
The proposed partnership was a three-year deal that would begin at the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season and conclude at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, with its main deliverables being centred around broadcast and digital media.
However, the project was met with huge criticism, with many suggesting that it was a waste of money that could be reinvested better.
Last week, new tourism minister De Lille, who replaced former head Lindiwe Sisulu on 6 March after a cabinet reshuffle, advised the tourism board not to proceed with the deal, insisting that it was not the correct use of money given the current economic conditions, per IOL.
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On Thursday, De Lille announced that the deal has officially been scrapped after the tourism board agreed with her recommendation to cancel the would-be costly partnership.
"In a letter from the SA Tourism board chairperson, based on the advice I have given to the board and which I had publicly stated, that the deal should not proceed, the SA Tourism board has agreed not to proceed with the proposal," the MP said.
"The SA Tourism board will no longer proceed with the transaction, nor will it seek the concomitant requisite approvals for the proposed transaction."
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