Pretoria – Tourism Deputy Minister Tokozile Xasa on Thursday launched the Mthatha Visitors’ Information Centre.
The project was funded in 2010 by the Department of Tourism with a budget of just over R13 million under its Social Responsibility Implementation Programme.
Speaking at the official launch, Deputy Minister Xasa said the project will be operated by King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Municipality on behalf of the KwaLindile community.
She said KSD Municipality has signed a memorandum of understanding that the Information Centre Wing will be occupied by KSD and OR Tambo Tourism Department officials and the commercial wing will be leased out by bus companies and a curio shop.
Deputy Minister Xasa said 60% of the rental received will go to KwaLindile community and 40% will be managed by KSD for the maintenance of the building.
The Deputy Minister said the community of KwaLindile will get first preference when employment takes place.
“Let us all continue to work together to build this beautiful country. I urge you all to continue to build this nation brick by brick so that together we can move South Africa Forward,” she said.
The National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) emphasises the need for South Africa to enhance the visitor experience at tourist contact points in order to deliver a world-class visitor experience and to entrench a tourism culture in order to position South Africa as a globally competitive and recognised tourism destination of choice.
In 2009, the National Department of Tourism (NDT) commissioned a study to look into the status of Visitor Information Centres (VICs) across South Africa.
The purpose of the study was to establish the number and general state of VICs and identify existing challenges and opportunities for VICs within the tourism sector.
The study also highlighted some key challenges that VICs faced, which include lack of funding to develop and support VICs; lack of a unified brand for VICs, poor uniformity in the way VICs across the country operate and poor skills development interventions to ensure the provision of excellent visitor services. – SAnews.gov.za
