The South African Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, attended the World Tourism Day celebrations taking place in Howick, KwaZulu Natal, under the theme “Tourism and Jobs – A better future for all”.
Speaking at the historic Nelson Mandela capture site, Minister Kubayi-Ngubane identified five key points to intensify the growth of the tourism sector. These included:
- Adopting a whole of government approach to tourism so that there is consistency in the message that we send to the world at all levels of government
- The need to create a tourism infrastructure coordination framework so that government investment in infrastructure at all levels is complementary
- The need to crowd-in private sector investments in the tourism sector so that our tourism product offering can be diverse
- To work closely with communities so that they can take ownership of projects within their localities and ensure that they maximise their benefits and that of the country as whole
- To work together to transform the sector so that all South Africans can equitably participate in the sector including our disabled compatriots
The minister said tourism is one of the sectors that has the highest potential to absorb both skilled and unskilled people.
“The only way that we will be able to create jobs in the tourism sector is by increasing the number of tourists in our country both domestic and international,” said Minister Kubayi-Ngubane.
The minister also spoke about the recent trends which showed a decline in international arrivals. “This development poses a great danger to the survival of the South African businesses and job opportunities and ultimately our economy.”
“What is it that we are going to do in our various areas of responsibility to ensure that South Africa remains a destination of choice for tourists? Amongst other things we need to do the following:
- We need to work together to ensure that tourists that come to our country feel safe to enjoy their holiday and take away memorable experiences
- We need to ensure that tourists who decide to travel to our country do so with ease and have access to all products across the country
- We need to practice sustainable tourism so that we can preserve the environment and the wildlife
In conclusion, the minister said it is in the hands of South Africans to South Africa into a destination of choice and wished all present a happy World Tourism day.
