Pretoria - Tourism is a job creating industry and if done right, it can have a positive socio-economic impact in villages, townships and small dorpies.
As such the development and growth of tourism should be a collective effort between government and the private sector through using aggressive marketing tools and relevant platforms such as the Are Yeng Bokone Bophirima Brand Property. This will lead to economic growth and job creation, according to Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom and North West MEC for Tourism Desbo Mohono, who were speaking at an outreach program in Mahikeng on Monday.
The outreach programme entails a number of stakeholder engagements with key industry role players and product owners in all four districts of the province.
Minister Hanekom said it is only through integration and partnership that South Africans can get strategies right as a country.
“A joint marketing plan will also play a very pivotal role in selling products to the outside world. In that way we know that we are all ambassadors not of our own provinces, but of the country as a whole.
“We will then see tourism grow in our country and finally winning tourists from the top three countries which are the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom,” said Minister Hanekom.
MEC Mohono also shared the same sentiments. He said the province has adopted tourism, heritage and events strategies.
“If fully and successfully implemented, the three will see the province growing its economy by 6% and becoming the second most preferred province by tourists from other countries and other provinces of our country. We are however positive that we shall achieve our intended target of creating a welcoming and hospitable environment that is embracing to every tourist coming into our province,” said MEC Mohono.
Both the Minister and the MEC called for responsible tourism. They said that by making sure that South Africans keep the country clean, and by being hospitable and deliver good products to tourists, the country will be opening possibilities of seeing them again visiting or even investing in the country.
The Minister’s visit to the North West is part of the National Department’s initiative of visiting provinces and interacting with relevant stakeholders within the tourism industry.
The Minister and his delegation will remain in the province for the next two days, where they will be visiting other tourism products and further interact with other stakeholders.
They will also listen to challenges facing the industrial role players and further introduce them to possible opportunities available to assist them in growing their products. – SAnews.gov.za
