Tourism will outstrip mining as economic contributor - - 16 March 2000
Tourism is expected to outstrip mining as an economic
contributor within the next five years and could become the backbone of
the South African economy, said Mpumalanga’s MEC for Economic Affairs,
Gaming and Tourism, Jacob Mabena, on Thursday.
Addressing a tourism workshop in Nelspruit, he said tourism was
already the world’s biggest industry and South Africa and had the
potential to be one of the best tourism destinations.
“If we could improve the quality of what we offer and sharpen our
marketing strategy properly, the rewards for success can be enormous,”
he said.
There was the potential for massive job creation, he said.
“Tourism and spin-offs that occur whenever a tourist arrives in a
country make the industry the biggest job provider in the world,” he
explained. ” Many people benefit right down to the person who milks the
cow for the milk in the tourist’s coffee or tea.”
He said his department was already positioning itself to take
advantage of the expected tourism boom by restructuring the Mpumalanga
Tourism Authority and creating a Mpumalanga Tourism Growth Plan.
The growth plan, aimed at gearing the tourism in the province towards
economic growth and development, was kick-started at the workshop. He
said its implementation had to be compatible with the strategic
direction of tourism nationally.
A tourism workshop of ministers and MECs (Minmec) in February agreed
to reduce the number of members on the South African Tourism Board and
investigate the tourism responsibilities of local governments, as well
as the need for a national funding mechanism to meet national and
provincial needs.
Mabena said strong skills were necessary for tourism to grow and
urged learning institutions to take the industry more seriously.
He said Mpumalanga had particularly high potential for tourism growth
as long as it had a powerful marketing strategy, improved service
delivery and revived the spirit of Ubuntu.