To capitalise on opportunities in the travel industry, government and industry have to work together.
This was one of the messages Deputy Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa, shared in her keynote address during The Summit, yesterday. Xasa added that she hoped the dialogue at The Summit would assist government and the private sector share information on the successes that the industry had recorded. “We also need to guide each other on plans and programmes where we need to move forward,” she said.
Xasa said government and the private sector needed to work together to develop not only a short-term intervention but also long-term strategies to grow the industry. For example, she said, SA needed to develop infrastructure that was conducive to travel and tourism.
“We want people to think outside of the box and link up with other investments.” She added that there were opportunities around infrastructure, electricity supply and transport, which completed the travel value chain.
“Today, the industry across the value chain believes tourism can effect change,” said Xasa. She said that despite the economic downturn, SA had seen an increase in international arrivals and was on track to becoming one of the top 20 destinations in the world by 2020. “We also seek to accelerate growth, up from an 8%-9% contribution to GDP into double-digit contribution come 2020.”
To sustain this growth in the industry, she said, it was crucial to grow aviation partnerships, cater for the needs of transit travellers and increase service levels and skills in the sector.
“In the recent past, we have seen a growth in hotel infrastructure linked to airport terminals,” said Xasa. She added that SA needed to look at whether its hubs were sufficient to provide for the needs of the transit traveller to retain its position as a gateway to Africa. According to Xasa, these needs included efficiency, comfort and convenience so that they could save time and do better business.
