Deputy Minister of Tourism, Elizabeth Thabethe, launched a Tourism Business Incubator on Friday (March 2), to ensure the viability and sustainability of SMMEs in the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality in Limpopo.
Tourism Business Incubators are a virtual vehicle used to facilitate the provision of business support interventions to tourism enterprises clustered along a thriving tourism node.
Through the incubators, SMMEs can access remote business support services facilitated by experienced business development advisers who provide mentorship, coaching and cluster training, tailored to their needs.
“Tourism in Limpopo is thriving, and it is critical that its socio-economic benefits are enjoyed by all. We identified Phalaborwa as a suitable town to establish a Tourism Business Incubator to promote economic inclusion, and ensure that new entrants into the industry are viable,” said Thabethe.
“As the Department of Tourism, we need sustainable tourism SMMEs in Phalaborwa to advance our more than R50 million (€3,4m) investment in the Wild Activity Hub at the Phalaborwa Gate of the Kruger National Park as well as the new Shangoni Gate of the park close to Giyani.”
The Phalaborwa incubator is one of a few launched across the country, forming part of a greater objective of the revised National Tourism Sector Strategy 2016-2026, to ensure the sustainable growth and development of the industry.
The Deputy Minister said SMMEs had the potential to create sustainable employment opportunities and contribute to the economic development of local economies.
Thus far, business incubators have been established in Pilanesberg (Moruleng) in the North West Province, and Bushbuckridge (Manyeleti) in Mpumalanga, both of which are operating successfully.
The Department recently hosted a workshop in partnership with the Limpopo Department of Economic Development and Environment and Tourism to present the services and initiatives provided to SMMEs under the Tourism Enterprise Development and Support Programme, which addressed the challenges facing businesses in the sector regarding funding and market access opportunities.
The Department closed the event on Friday (March 2), with a stakeholder engagement on the Tourism Human Resources Development (THRD) strategy, its implementation, and monitoring and evaluation framework. The session concluded the provincial engagements on the THRD.
The next Enterprise Development Awareness and information sharing event will take place in Mahikeng, North West on March 5.
For more information on the Tourism Enterprise Development and Support Programme, and the up-coming workshops in various provinces, click here.
