The United Nations (UN) World Tourism Organisation and South Africa hosted an inaugural Summit on Tourism, Sport and Mega Events in Johannesburg from 24 to 26 February 2010. The Summit was attended by some 450 delegates, ranging from tourism ministers to business leaders, industry experts and top academics from 35 countries.
At the conclusion of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)/South Africa Tourism, Sports and Mega-Events Summit the Deputy Minister Gert Oosthuizen, speaking on behalf of the South African government, expressed his satisfaction that the Summit had produced a number of concrete outcomes that will amongst others inform the new tourism sector strategy that we have been compiling in close cooperation with industry role-players and stakeholders as well as the sport tourism strategy that is currently being finalised.
Deputy Minister Oosthuizen said that “these proceedings will also underpin the important sports tourism strategy currently being finalised between the national departments of sport and tourism, with the support of South African Tourism.”
“The valuable best practice and knowledge shared at this summit will feed directly into the sport tourism strategy and the. It will be the first ever comprehensive sport tourism strategy and it will serve as the roadmap guiding us to new heights in the next few years,” Deputy Minister Oosthuizen said.
The summit was aimed at amongst others intensifying the emphasis on the role of tourism and travel in fast-tracking economic growth and job creation and boosting trade, development and investment.
Participants at the summit specifically explored the potential of tourism, sports and mega-events in terms of attracting more visitors to a country, helping it to utilise tourism infrastructure to its fullest potential, diversifying the tourism mix and enhancing skills development and the pursuit of excellence in the tourism industry.
Minister van Schalkwyk described the summit not as an end in itself, but as a milestone for South Africa and the international community. “Sports, mega-events and business tourism are the sleeping giants of our tourism market which hold huge potential and which we will exploit further to grow our industry.
“We know we have to gain a better understanding of how to turn more sports and business tourists into leisure tourists who prolong their stay in order to explore the leisure facets of a destination and who also return repeatedly. The timing of the summit was also particularly significant in the context of the fact that the World Cup is a mere 102 days away.
“While we are all working non-stop to put the finishing touches on what I believe will be the best World Cup ever, we have also never seen the cup as the be-all and end-all. We know we must capitalise on the boost our industry has received in terms of infrastructure, training, skills and worldwide word of mouth advertising in the form of satisfied visitors.
“We have planned ahead and will implement further strategies after the World Cup to ensure the sustainability of our tourism industry beyond 2010. South Africa has already secured 95 meetings and conferences between 2010 and 2016 in the three major conference centres of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. In addition to this, we have already also put in bids for an additional 45 meetings and conferences from 2011 to 2020,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.
Deputy Minister Oosthuizen said the national Department of Tourism would compile a technical project report that collates all the source materials and expert contributions at the summit into one volume and by way of a summary, lift out the key themes and issues to be addressed.
A further outcome of the summit entails that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation will intensify its focus on sport, tourism and mega-events as a tool for development. The participants at the summit suggested that various proposals be considered as part of a work stream that could include greening guidelines for mega events, a knowledge repository on the management of mega-sporting events and a rethinking of the way the costs and benefits of these events are evaluated.
In addition, the team of academics led by Professors Leo Jago and Daneel van Lill will complete a detailed report, sponsored by Visa and commissioned by the South African government and the UNWTO. It is aimed at making a significant contribution to the basis of a framework towards maximising the benefits of mega-events.
Deputy Minister Oosthuizen expressed his gratitude about the fact that the summit facilitated the formation of new and stronger networks and friendships between industry players, academics, governments and international organisations.
“To us in South Africa and I think I can safely speak for government, business and academia this summit opened up new networks between new friends. I believe the wider perspective that this brings us, in addition to enhanced access to this knowledge network, will assist us to do what we do in a smarter way to the benefit of more of our people,” Deputy Minister Oosthuizen said.
Enquiries:
Enrico Peters
Tel: 012 304 5178
Cell: 082 464 4659
E-mail: enrico@srsa.gov.za
Ronel Bester
Tel: 021 465 7240
Cell: 083 242 7763
E-mail: rbester@tourism.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Tourism
28 February 2010
