Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom has completed the first of a series of engagements with provincial tourism stakeholders.
The provincial outreach programme began with a two-day visit to Limpopo, where Minister Hanekom met provincial and municipal officials, tourism product owners and operators, and several others involved in the tourism value chain.
“The visit has allowed me see for myself what is happening on the ground and, more importantly, to interact with the people who are doing a great job for the tourism sector. These engagements will help us to improve the sector.
“We want to continue growing the sector sustainably in an inclusive manner. This will create more jobs in the sector and improve the contribution that tourism makes to the national economy even further,” said Minister Hanekom.
“The visit to Limpopo is the first of a series of visits to all provinces. These visits will strengthen all spheres of government. At the end of the two days in Limpopo we have gained a much better sense of what is happening in tourism in this province,” said the Minister.
Day one of the programme commenced at the Nylsvley Nature Reserve, where the Minister was hosted by
Mr Seaparo Sekoati, MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET).
The second stop was a visit to Makapans Valley, where the Minister assessed the state of development of the site and its linkages to the Cradle of Humankind.
Minister Hanekom engaged with tourism role players from the Waterberg and Capricon Districts on day one, as well as the Mopani, Vhembe and Sekhukhune Districts, on the challenges and opportunities within the operating environment.
Tourism infrastructure development featured high on the list of topics raised. Another opportunity that emerged strongly was the potential of cultural and community tourism, which creates a diversity of tourism products.
For more information, visit our website on
www.tourism.gov.za;
Enquiries:Mr Praveen NaidooMedia Liaison Officer to the Minister
National Department of Tourism
Telephone: +27 (0) 12 444 6607
Cell:
+27 (0) 81 475 1056
Email:
pnaidoo@tourism.gov.zaFacebook:
NationalDepartmentOfTourism;
Twitter:
@Tourism_gov_za