Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, and the Environmental Affairs and Tourism Department and the Business Trust have established a programme to foster small businesses in this area.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, and the Environmental Affairs and Tourism Department and the Business Trust have established a programme to foster small businesses in this area.

The TEP programme helps small businesses in tourism with marketing assistance, the development of business and marketing plans, preparing and submitting tenders and training.

The programme will even help entrepreneurs to attend exhibitions and conferences, as well as certification and licensing.

TEP will help entrepreneurs who can show that their business has growth potential and can create jobs to qualify for financial assistance.

But the programme will not finance assets, raise equity, start-up capital or operational costs.

Businesses must be registered and operate as a tourism enterprise, such as a lodge, hotel, bed and breakfast, a tour operator or guide.

To qualify, the business must derive at least half of its income from tourism.

TEP has offices in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, Free State, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

More detailed information is available on the website: www.tep.co.za.