Mpumalanga MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Mr Norman Mokoena says South Africa’s image plays a vital role in attracting investors and tourists to Mpumalanga. MEC Mokoena said this during a stakeholder engagement with the International Marketing Council in Nelspruit on 2 August 2011.
“Mpumalanga’s economy rests on five pillars - tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and mining. To grow, we need access to export markets, we need investors, and we need more tourists. The image of our country makes a vital contribution to this,” explained Mokoena during the summit.
MEC Mokoena met the leadership of the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC), who were in the province as part of the stakeholders’ engagement to share ideas on improving the image or the brand of South Africa.
The IMC is using the legacy of South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to build Brand South Africa to be globally competitive.
“The combined behaviour of a country’s people and its attributes make up our brand identity. A positive identity or favourable reputation will promote and consolidate our global competitiveness,” added Mokoena.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), 935 million tourists travelled across international boundaries in 2010. It also predicts that the tourism sector will grow by an average of 4.1% per year for the next two decades. Projections for the year 2020 indicate that tourist arrivals will grow to 1.8 billion.
In 2009 South Africa attracted 9.9 million international tourists, while 30 million domestic trips were taken. Mpumalanga attracted 1.4 million international tourists in 2009 and generated 800 000 domestic trips in 2009.
There are several indices that are used to gauge the global competitiveness of a country.
They include:
- The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI): South Africa is the most competitive sub-Saharan African country in the GCI 2010 to 2011 and ranks 54th out of a total of 139 economies measured.
- The World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index: South Africa ranks 34th out of 183 economies.
- The Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance is an attempt to statistically monitor African governance levels. South Africa is ranked 5th out of 53 countries.
In summary in order to remain globally competitive, government must play its role in ensuring that we have enabling policies to remain attractive as an investment and trade destination, but the branding of our country is the responsibility of every citizen.
We urge the people of Mpumalanga to play an active role in whatever manner possible to promote the brand South Africa.
