NW to grade tourism establishments for free

Thursday, July 27, 2017

The North West Department for Tourism has entered into an agreement with the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) to grade establishments at a cost to the department.

“We will be grading 100 tourism establishments within the Villages, Township and Small Dorpies (VTSD) areas for free,” North West MEC for Tourism Desbo Mohono said.

MEC Mohono said grading the establishments is in line with the provincial government’s efforts to increase the number of graded Tourism establishments in the province and also to encourage more accommodation establishments and venues to get graded and stay graded under the star grading system of the TGCSA.

“A graded establishment has access to a basket of benefits through TGCSA and these benefits include boosting customer confidence and also marketing aspect which yields to sustainable business growth,” MEC Mohono said.

Furthermore, North West communities have been encouraged to take advantage of business investment, funding and business support platforms created to establish their own sustainable tourism businesses and subsequently influence growth in the economy.

The provincial government recently dispatched 10 departments to embark on an intensive community interaction programme in the Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District.

“People in this district which comprises of five local municipalities need to take advantage of business funding models and support such as market access and product development created by the provincial government,” MEC Mohono said.

During the Villages, Township and Small Dorpies (VTSD) Economies and Entrepreneurship Outreach programme departments were able to engage with communities and offer them their services, information and advice with specific reference to their department’s constitutional mandate

MEC Mohono said community members in the district must establish businesses in an effort to take advantage of the tourism activities in the area. – SAnews.gov.za