KwaZulu-Natal expected to benefit handsomely from agreement sealed with giant Chinese travel agency
The number of Chinese tourists who visit the Province of KwaZulu-Natal is expected to grow exponentially, thanks to a critical agreement signed between Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and China Comfort Tourism Group in Durban yesterday evening.
The ground-breaking signing ceremony was attended by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Province, Mr Sihle Zikalala, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Mrs Nomusa Dube-Ncube and eThekwini acting Mayor, Ms Fawzia Peer.
The agreement will see the Chinese travel agency bringing thousands of tourists to KwaZulu-Natal thus taking the tourism industry in the province to another level, says Premier Zikalala.
“This is a major achievement. We are expecting scores of Chinese tourists to visit KwaZulu-Natal. We are proud to have partnered with such a successful travel agency, which has more than 300 subsidiaries and an annual revenue of over R20 billion,” Mr Zikalala added.
He said negotiations had begun during KwaZulu-Natal’s investment mission to China last year.
“We are impressed with the manner in which the issues we discussed during our visit have been processed. We are expecting more to come out of those discussions which should culminate in more job opportunities for the people of KwaZulu-Natal.”
China Comfort Tourism Group focuses on overseas tourism, inbound tourism, domestic tourism, cruise tourism and conferences.
MEC Dube-Ncube, who is also a leader of government business, said the agreement between Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and the Chinese travel agency augured well for the province’s growth aspirations.
“Our Tourism Plan which calls for, amongst other things, the development of new tourism products and attractions that would appeal to international visitors."
Mrs Dube-Ncube added that KwaZulu-Natal intended to grow tourism contribution to its economy to reach between R65 billion and R98 billion in the foreseeable future.
"This would result in the generation of no less than 183 000 job opportunities for the people of our province," MEC Dube-Ncube said.
The Chinese delegation was led by Mr Yang Xiaotang, the Mayor of Dongguan City where the China Comfort Tourism Group has a major footprint.
In expressing his gratitude, Mr Xiaotang Yang said: "We are humbled by the cooperation and respect we have received from the people of KwaZulu-Natal. We have no doubt that the agreement we signed today will benefit us all.”
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Nathi Olifant
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