Only five of the Department of Tourism’s 22 community tourism infrastructure projects are operational with questions about when the remaining projects will be completed and how their economic impact will be measured.
The five operational projects are Mthonsi Lodge, Nyandeni Lodge and Western Tembuland in the Eastern Cape and Matsila Lodge and Phiphidi in Limpopo.
In an interview with Tourism Update at the recent SA Tourism Investment Summit, Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said the department will continue supporting community tourism facilities after completion to help ensure their commercial viability.
This includes identifying operating partners and working with provincial and local government departments and their agencies to provide marketing support, market access and capacity building.
When asked how the department will measure the success of a project, she said data will be collected on visitor numbers, revenue and permanent jobs post-handover of the projects.
