SA Tourism shines at Leadership Conference

Tourism

The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) hosted the second annual Tourism Leadership Conference (TLC) from September 7-8 at Sun City Resort in the North West Province. The two-day conference took the opportunity to capture the imagination of guests by highlighting the strengths and diversity of South Africa as a destination of choice for visitors.

The conference drew around 400 stakeholders from the public and private sectors, as well as dignitaries, guests, and delegates who contribute to the local and global tourism industry value chain. This was to discuss the sector's opportunities and challenges. This year's TBCSA Leadership Conference theme is "Tourism: The Engine for Growth".

TBCSA has retained the same theme from last year to emphasize their unwavering mission to drive economic growth and job creation in South Africa. The MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT), Galebekwe Virginia Tlhapi, welcoming delegates to the conference, emphasised the significance of this gathering.

"Through a conference like this, we get to discuss and exchange ideas, identify trends, understand current demands and share our collective experiences so that we can implement suitable strategies, creative programmes, and innovative plans to enhance the tourism industry," said Tlhapi at the conference's outset.

Tourism is the one sector of the economy that has consistently shown resilience as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and deals with the effects of local and global financial headwinds. On the local front, slow economic growth, the rising cost of living, and persistent load-shedding, among others, continue to challenge the industry's revival and recovery.

To accelerate the recovery of the industry, specifically the overseas market, tourism stakeholders have indicated that the sector needs significant investment into destination marketing in our key source markets and addressing growing concerns around safety and security. Delegates, including Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) from the North West Province's tourism sector, expressed optimism about the industry's future.

The conference discussions will be invaluable in shaping the sector's trajectory and fostering growth. SMMEs, such as bed & breakfast owners, travel agents, tour operators, tourist guides, and representatives of various tourism associations, had the opportunity to contribute to discussions and policies regarding tourism recovery and growth.

During a Question & Answer session on Day One of the Leadership Conference, Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi shared that his department is expanding its e-visa system to include other visas such as study, business travel, and eventually travelling groups. He said Home Affairs is aware of the backlogs in the issuing of visas and that work is being done to address them.

"We want as many people as possible to come into the country. But my priority is to ensure that the right kind of people are allowed into South Africa. Our responsibility is to ensure that undesirable people do not enter the country," Motsoaledi explained. TBCSA's collective duty is to improve safety and security in key tourist routes and areas.

Public and private partnerships can radically improve the security of our tourists. In achieving their goals, communities must be stakeholders in the tourism value chain to ensure solid collaborations in safety and sustainability. Tourism Minister Patricia De Lille re-emphasised the government's commitment to break the barriers that inhibit the growth and potential of tourism in South Africa.

De Lille said her department has been working tirelessly with industry stakeholders to ease the backlogs in issuing operating licenses for tour operators, ensuring timely issuing of visas, ensuring the safety of tourists, and expediting other outstanding matters that affect the industry. "Boosting the level of engagement between us to drive a more ambitious vision for the economy is exactly what we need to enable job creation and foster the ease of doing business by building better synergies.

We must do more to aggressively market and promote our destination with one clear message and voice," said De Lille. The Tourism Leadership Conference 2023 served as a platform for stakeholders to collaborate, innovate and chart a path toward a brighter future for South Africa's tourism industry. The event focused on growth and sustainability, inspiring attendees to contribute to the sector's continued success.

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We are an English medium newspaper which is designed, printed and distributed through an established distribution channel in all the major towns of the North West Province. We publish twice a month.

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