Northern Cape Provincial Tourism Conference/Indaba, Tabernacle, Kimberley
20 April 2006
Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
The Executive Mayor of the Francis Baard District Council
The Executive Mayor of Sol Plaatjie
Representatives of Tourism Sector
Members of the Business Sector
Ladies and gentlemen
Allow me to begin my input to this esteemed occasion by quoting from the
national Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Marthinus van
Schalkwyk, where he says, âSt Augustine of Algeria once said that the world is
a book, and those who do not travel read only one page ".
To this end if the most exceptional experiences of our country would be
captured between the covers of only one volume of the book, then travel and
tourism in the Northern Cape could fill the space of many chapters. If St
Augustine was alive today he would attest to the experience of our hospitality
industry that there is indeed a piece of undiscovered paradise that is awaiting
to be explored and that is the Northern Cape Province.
The road to this conference has been long and winding as many here will
recall. We come here today at a time of unprecedented tourism growth where we
need to vigorously forge partnerships to be able to better focus our energies
and enthusiasm. By creating new space for open debate and discussion, we must
come out with a plan of action to ensure that our tourism industry will not
only benefit from this surge in sector but can also sustain itself.
Our White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in the Northern
Cape Province and the Tourism Master Plan, which have been developed over a
period of time stand us in good fortune, for these two documents have brought
about this gathering. It is imperative that we use what is contained in these
documents as a guide to the conference debates. To this end the White Paper has
been completed to guide the growth of tourism in the Northern Cape. It is thus
very important that this conference becomes a platform through which we are
able to take forward the challenges as set out. Therefore delegates to this
conference who are mostly within the tourism sector must assist government in
this process to craft an action plan that will lead you to economic growth and
development in the province.
It is in our opinion that tourism in the Northern Cape should not only be
about statistics and trends much as we need those, but must focus on real
people, jobs, growth and food on the table from a tourist guide to all those
involved in the industry, in particular the poorest of our community members.
We should centre our efforts in the creation of jobs in this sector and the
real challenge becomes improving on what we have already started. As stated in
the white paper, whilst tourism has many benefits and advantages it should not
be treated as a quick remedy for social and economic transformation and growth.
The tourism environment is extremely competitive and while its growth could be
fast tracked care should be taken not to opt for ad-hoc solutions that provide
short term respite, but are not sustainable.
One of the key challenges as highlighted in the white paper that was facing
the Northern Cape tourism sector was the development of a unique and sought
after positioning of the province in the marketplace. The current positioning
was unclear and the province did not adequately differentiate from its
competitors as a unique, "must experience" destination.
It has been widely accepted that a wide range of tourism destinations have
managed to distinguish themselves in two ways, namely achieving "celebrity
status" and having "emotional appeal". This implies that the Northern Cape must
position itself in accordance with the unique features and experiences that
will be written and talked about for which it could become famous in the market
place and features and experiences that could appeal to the emotional needs of
the marketplace and could invoke powerful feeling and emotions.
As indicated, an appropriate and differentiated positioning should draw on
the rich heritage and historical growth factors that have inspired the
development and progress of the province. In this respect the Northern Cape has
overtime attracted explorers and discoverers, whether they are San hunter
gatherers, diamond diggers, botanists in search of rare flora species or
astronomers studying the Karoo skies in search of new stars and planets. This
clearly put the Northern Cape above the others as a suitable destination for
visitors with an exploratory spirit, who wish to divert from the mainstream,
mass tourism areas.
A recent research study conducted by BI5 Resources over the last five months
on the development of and brand positioning of the Northern Cape can attest to
the fact that the province is projected as an explorer's destination. According
to the research findings, at the core, both international and domestic target
markets are explorers.
The research describes the Explorer as follows:
"The explorer archetype like to explore a wide range of interest and passions,
taking many detours along the way, continually seek out new adventurers,
learning opportunities and experiences, enjoy the journey more than the end
result. Sometimes they will interest before reaching their destination and take
detours to find something else to explore, dream big and see endless
possibilities ahead of them".
Without prejudice, the Northern Cape will hold the greatest appeal to those
individual who actively seek out the unusual. Who enjoy the spatial landscapes,
the blue skies, real wonder, adventure, discovery, solitude, the unexplored,
unspoilt Africa and the unexpected?
Thus the Northern Cape's most obvious differentiators reverberate around the
sheer vastness of the province, which in turn lends itself to rich diversity of
products, offerings and experiences and natural resources. It is an ideal
environment in which travellers really travel and explore.
A long term approach to elevate the Northern Cape's tourism competitiveness
and the achievement of growth is essential. Such an approach requires the full
commitment and support of organs of state in the three spheres of government in
particular the local government sphere.
This relationship should be developed over a sustained long period if we are
to achieve our set goals. Accordingly, tourism development and marketing should
be sustained over a period of time to allow for impact and recognition in the
market place. A few years ago our tourism industry was at a different level,
but the outcome of this gathering must ensure that so much must have changed,
much improved and matured. When one looks back, it would have been difficult
for a visitor to have any firm idea of what to expect from the Northern Cape
because there was no recognisable provincial brand unlike today, South Africa
and the rest of the world must now know that the Northern Cape is real.
There would have been a tourism destination in which the vast majority of
local people had no sense of ownership, no Karel Phentela and his Ekhaya
Guesthouse to welcome all of you to Galeshewe, and no black economic
empowerment (BEE) Charter to ensure that tourism benefits all our people in the
province.
It is incumbent on the delegates present here that there must be a
coordinated growth strategy, competitiveness studies to continually identify
markets and gaps, a tourism unit to inform decision making and a domestic
tourism campaign such as the Sho't Left. The Tourism Master plan and the White
Paper on tourism development were just a start and this conference is
furtherance of what has begun.
Most of you who are gathered here who come from the tourism sector and will
be participating at Indaba 2006 next month, will recall that at Indaba 2005,
the final BEE Charter was launched. This charter was designed to change the
face of this industry by ensuring that all communities feel the benefit of our
tourism success. This therefore calls for us here to deliberate on what
contribution this conference will make towards the achievement of the goals as
set out in the charter.
A vision must be created with agreements on our own targets and strategies
to archive that and must commit ourselves to drive and monitor the
implementation of the Charter. At national level the Charter Council has been
formally established and I am please to inform this gathering that Mrs Patience
Mokhadi, our Head of Department of Tourism, Environment and Conservation sits
in the Charter Council as a representative of provincial perspectives.
It is envisaged that amongst others this body will help support and promote
entrepreneurship and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in this
sector. Entry barriers to tourism are relatively low and the structure of the
industry is conducive to new business development.
The nature of the tourism product allows for expansion and growth of
emerging, SMMEs. However, these enterprises require special attention to enter
the industry and this must form part of the deliberations over the next few
days in hall. Special attention must be given to women in this regard. Women
and tourism must occupy a special place in the whole industry as they have
already made a mark in accommodation section of the whole sector and are by far
the majority owners of Bed and Breakfast establishments in the province.
Women also play an influential role in the environment and conservation
issues and have a major role to play in influencing tomorrow's generation on
the attitude towards conservation and environmental matter and this in the
process enhances tourism. It is in this regard that we should not loose sight
of the skills base and service levels in the province as these need constant
improvement for the Northern Cape to be globally competitive. Since travel and
tourism is about relaxation and access to special experiences, personal service
levels and customer care have a major influence on the overall visitor
experience.
This requires a culture and tradition of good service, appropriate language
and communication skills and a good understanding of customer relations amongst
those who encounter tourists. This is a challenge that I am throwing to the
institution here to take it upon themselves to improve customer relations which
still lags behind in certain institutions in the industry even the most
established one have a big problem to overcome when it come to treating
people.
Our attitude must change for the better if our hospitality industry in the
Province is to leave an indelible mark to a tourist who will in all likelihood
not only come back for more but tell others about the Northern Cape. The
province should promote and support the overall sense of hospitality among the
population. This is a long term process of developing a tourist culture, where
citizens welcome tourists, participate in tourism decision making and from
tourism as a whole.
As suggested in the white paper, the citizens of the Northern Cape, in
particular the youth as the future custodians of the industry need to be made
aware of the value of tourism as both an income and employment generator. On a
large scale a customer care programme must be considered by this gathering as
we deliberate and details thereof will come from the delegates themselves.
There is again little doubt that a successful implementation of any policy and
strategy will largely depend on the effectiveness and efficiency of the
institutions we have and tourism is no exception.
Although the broad institutional structure in the Northern Cape seems to be
reasonably functional and effective, a number of related factors impede the
growth of tourism in the Province. The key constraints relate to funding, human
resource and capacity and general communication and co-ordination between
tourism bodies, other government structures, private sector businesses and
tourism product owners. Limited communications and co-ordination between
different public and private sector stakeholders resulted in tourism
development and marketing not being optimally effective.
The above has again been validated by the recent research carried out over
the last five months which found that a number of respondents shared the
sentiment that there was a need to build an awareness and marking campaign but
lack of resources and lack of integration across all stakeholders in the sector
in the whole in the province and region was of particular concern. There was a
feeling and need for integration of activities across the province and multiple
stakeholders with some expectation of the Northern Cape Tourism Authority
playing a pivotal role in facilitating such integration.
Support for the creation of a uniform brand for the Northern Cape, with a
common thread throughout the brand positioning that appeals to both
international and domestic visitors whilst simultaneously recognising diverse
product offerings and experiences of the regions was mentioned as a way forward
in the study.
Tourism is not always easy to define since, unlike most industries, it is
not characterised by goods or services produced but rather by the status of the
customer. What this therefore means is that our statistics and research trends
need to be more accurate a measure of the real contribution of tourism to our
economy for instance.
Tourism is a market led industry, where demand and market requirements
inform the development of tourism supply. An analysis of the current in tourism
demand of the Northern Cape should provide us with future tourism product
development in the province and allow for a more focused approach in its
marketing efforts.
The analysis must consider both international and domestic markets in terms
of source markets, market segments, and purpose of visits, length of stay and
many other factors. Thus detailed marketing information and tourism demand
statistics must be as accurate as possible to enable the sector to plan and
develop for sustainable growth for industry. The challenge to this conference
is that by the time we review decision taken here in the near future, we must
have fully accurate statistics on amongst others tourism use and supply,
employment in the sector at all levels and levels of outbound tourism
consumption.
We must take this market very seriously because it has the strength that
complements our own leisure tourism success. I am confident that together we
will be able to further capitalise on this lucrative market.
In conclusion, may I ask that you indulge me for a few minutes for I would
like to raise a few issues which will have a bearing on this gathering as we
deliberate on our next move in this sector? This year, as we celebrate 12 years
of freedom and democracy, let us unite in a national effort for faster and
shared growth. Our country has experienced a stable democracy, freedom and
prosperity, with months of economic growth, the challenge is for all to share
in these democratic gains.
The provincial business sector will, as shall all other commerce
institutions, benefit directly from this windfall. We therefore reiterate the
sentiments of our president Mr Thabo Mbeki in saying that perhaps it is time
for the business community to share this "democratic dividend" and other forms
of largesse with the wider, needier members of our communes. This in our view
would further support the national sentiment that South Africa is indeed
entering its "Age of Hope". It would therefore be in keeping with that spirit
and not be churlish by any means or description for us here and elsewhere to be
seen to plan and invest in the economic growth of this province and the general
prosperity of its people.
We dare say that there are no shortages of ideas as to how this ought to be
done. The provincial government, as an enabler, along with the national fiscus,
have in their unique ways devised economic strategies and tactics that are
designed to make South Africa a wining nation. In this respect the Growth and
Development Strategy of our province is very much relevant and of huge currency
to all economic actors.
As we reflect and celebrate our achievements; we must recommit into growing
the economy and fighting poverty. Through a national effort we should pursue
our collective struggle against poverty, and work together with all sectors of
our society for a growing economy that benefits all.
Government's Programme of Action, with Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) as plan for faster and shared growth, is
building on the achievements and opportunities that were created through
freedom. Implementation of AsgiSA will ensure acquisition of priority skills
needed to grow a competitive and labour absorbing economy.
AsgiSA is targeting factors that constrain growth to lift our economy to its
potential of at least six percent growth by 2010, and halving poverty and
unemployment by 2014.
Major development in our country which have a potential to impact on all of
us include anniversaries such that 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the
Republic's Constitution, 30th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, 40th
Anniversary of the Treason Trial, 50th Anniversary of the women's march to the
Union Buildings, 60th Anniversary of the Miners Strike and the centenaries of
the Bambatha Rebellion and Styagraha. These days all have a great significance
in the history of our country and should not pass by unnoticed.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
20 April 2006
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za)
