Ecotourism drive to promote self-sustainability
CONSERVATION heavyweights iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Kruger National Park have put their heads together to find ways of improving conservation and boosting tourism in the wake of the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two parks participated in a three-day knowledge and ideas exchange session aimed at boosting employment and improving the tourism sector's contribution to the country's GDP.
iSimangaliso is on a drive to reposition itself and will be hosting an investment summit on 26 August at Sibaya Casino as part of the implementation of its commercialisation strategy.
The planned summit has already attracted the interest of keen investors from around the country and across the world.
The uMkhanyakude district, in which iSimangaliso is located, is predominantly rural and has no resident industry. It is considered among the ten districts in South Africa with the highest multi-poverty index (MPI).
The majority of the population live below the poverty line and the unemployment rate is 42.8% – a situation that calls for urgent attention.
Sharing his long-term vision, iSimangaliso Wetland Park CEO Sibusiso Bukhosini said it was time to make conservation relevant through ecotourism to promote self-sustainability.
The iSimangaliso investment summit will provide a platform for local, national and international interest groups to grab various business opportunities available across the wetland park.
Investment opportunities range from small to big projects, such as building and running tourism facilities that will include resorts, lodges, bush camps and product offerings.
Preparatory steps will include roadshows with a government business wing to surrounding municipalities and communities, where the plan will be clearly outlined.
Its aim is to reach a minimum threshold of 40 per cent for the previously disadvantaged.