Conference to promote tourism in SADC region

22 Oct 2008

JOHANNESBURG: The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is to promote tourism in the region and raise awareness of the region's significant investment potential at a conference in Johannesburg.

Speaking at the Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) Investment Conference on Tuesday, 21 October, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the conference would aim to find ways in which the SADC countries could work together to build a pipeline of bankable projects while increasing promotion efforts.

"We believe that investment in tourism facilities and services will unlock the tremendous potential of the industry while addressing current regional development needs," said Van Schalkwyk.

The conference will further identify packaged tourism investment opportunities in the existing TFCAs such as Kgalagai, Kavango Zambezi, Limpopo-Shashe and Maloti Drakensburg, amongst others.

The minister said there was a need for Southern Africa to strategically unite the region through nature, culture and communities while packaging exceptional tourism offerings such as the Victoria Falls, Okavango Delta and Fish River Canyon.

"All these efforts are not only maximising tourism potential in the region, but help stimulate our economic growth," he added.

Van Schalkwyk said the nine countries under the SADC have been working together to create tourism opportunities which were sustainable.

These opportunities, he said, ranged from rustic to five-star luxury accommodation facilities.

"The opportunities on offer feature a mixture of new facilities and existing ones that need to be refurbished and upgraded," Van Schalkwyk said.

He, however, said although significant progress has been made, tourism growth in the SADC region was not yet on the level it had the potential to achieve.

"Two factors which particularly hinder tourism growth is a shortage of well-packaged and bankable projects, and limited awareness in the investment community about the existing tourism opportunities in the region.

"This conference will therefore raise awareness of the region's significant investment potential and market a portfolio of unique and packaged tourism investment opportunities in the existing TFCAs," said van Schalkwyk.

During the conference, a catalogue featuring 51 investment opportunities which offer over R5 000 beds will also be presented.

Minister van Schalkwyk said the estimated value of these investment opportunities was R785 million.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews.