Communities still in the dark re: tourism

THE Mpumalanga Tourism Authority (MTA) has found that most communities have little or no understanding of how tourism works. The MTA held a roadshow last week to spark public involvement in the tourism sector. "We found that most people still don't understand what tourism is all about and some still think it is a white man's industry," said MTA spokeswoman, Kholofelo Khwinana. "They don't understand that tourism is everybody's business." Khwinana said the roadshow was also used as a platform for communities to voice their concerns, and for stakeholders to share ideas on how to build a strong tourism sector. The roadshow also thrashed out ideas on how to turn Mpumalanga into the most favourable tourist destination in South Africa. At the moment, the province is the third most popular destination after Gauteng and the Western Cape. (African Eye News Service)