Tourism MEC Wendy Nelson meets with tour operators
The North West MEC for Tourism, Wendy Nelson is optimistic that the new understanding between the Department and Tour Operators will bring about innovative ways to package and profile the province in the quest to attract international tourists and buyers.
This was as a result of a meeting between the Department and tour operators in the province, which recently took place in Rustenburg. The meeting was prompted by recent indicators of a decline in international visitors to the province. According to MEC Nelson it is imperative that the Department of Tourism together with the Tourism Board engage with its stakeholders on a regular basis.
“Tourism is government led and private sector driven so in order for tour operators to be able to repackage tourism attractions and products which are tailor made for the market, it is crucial to sit down with them as the first step to determine what kind of offerings are unique to the province.
“I see this engagement as a start of something that needs to continue on an ongoing basis. As we move forward we need to determine how we can define our role as the department and the board to provide assistance to you as the stakeholders of the industry”, said MEC Nelson.
The outcomes of the meeting will contribute towards moving the province forward through tourism says owner of OJ Tours and Travel Agency, OJ Tshamboko who is also the Chairperson of Potchefstroom Tourism Association. “One of the key things to come out of the meeting is the need to do a product audit, secondary to that is the issue of new product development because we need to develop other tourism products that will attract tourists to the province.
“What also stood out is the need for all districts to specialize in their offerings to have a unique selling point as products. As industry stakeholders we are happy to have met with MEC Wendy Nelson to see how best we can turn around our strategy to make the province the most visited”, said Tshamboko.
The North West Tourism Board Acting CEO, Jeff Mabunda says tour operators play an important role in the industry. “The tour operators as the people on the ground who sell tourism in the province, have helped us as government by identifying gaps within the industry, the next step for us is to attend to all the issues that they have raised.
“Moving forward we want to strengthen our partnership with tour operators because we believe that tourism thrives based on competency, innovation and partnership, partnership is crucial because working in silos can never result in a thriving sector”, added Mabunda.
Enquiries:
Dineo Lolokwane
Cell: 072 542 8444
Tel: 018 388 2081
E-mail: dlolokwane@nwpg.gov.za
