Tourism requires multi-collaboration
WITHOUT co-operation and collaboration among the government, the private sector and communities, South Africa will not be able to service tourists' needs in a way that will ensure they stay longer, spend more and return in the future.
This was the sentiment of Deputy Minister of Tourism Fish Mahlalela, who was speaking at a community engagement in Pongola on Thursday.
He said Pongola is one the municipalities blessed with tourism assets, and a critical transit hub for tourists going to Richards Bay, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the greater Durban area from the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces.
“Pongola can be a transit point for tourists as well as a destination. But to achieve maximum benefit from this transit status, the municipality will have to put the right infrastructure in place to capture maximum value from tourists in transit.
“The private sector and communities will need to cater to those needs by providing services and products that transit tourists need,” said Mahlalela.
He explained that Pongola Municipality and Zululand
District Municipality are strategically located to access other destinations.
“It links the Kingdom of Eswatini with other tourist attractions such as iSimangaliso Wetland Park, St Lucia, Richards Bay and Durban. It also links tourists visiting Mozambique through Eswatini. “Tourism packages that include attractions and activities in Mozambique, Eswatini and South
Africa (KZN and Mpumalanga) could be very attractive to tourists, and tour operators in this region are strategically placed to collaborate with their counterparts in neighbouring countries to deliver what is needed,” he said.