Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the Minister of Tourism today, 28 August launched the 2010 Visitor Information Centre (VIC) in Polokwane. The newly constructed, world class centre was developed at a cost of R8,2 million and will form part of the legacy project for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.
Situated on the Great North road to Zimbabwe, Polokwane is the heart of the Limpopo province. It's a peaceful, yet progressive city and its name literally means 'place of safety'. The city is also the gateway to the other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries which lie on its border, offering easy access to Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
“The model for this centre is based on the best international practice and will assist our tourism authorities in providing outstanding service to tourists as well as other stakeholders. With the launch of this facility we are taking another step in the process to hosting a world class event next year which all South Africans can be proud of,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.
With just 286 days until the start of the World Cup, the centre is aimed at improving the South African tourism offering with a view to enhancing service excellence, growing tourism and creating opportunities for local economic development.
The city is building a new 45 500 seat stadium adjacent to the current 18 000 capacity one. It will be a modern stadium with facilities that will be used mainly for soccer and rugby matches but will also offer additional facilities for hosting big meetings.
As part of the national VIC project, centres are being rolled out in five host cities, namely Port Elizabeth, Polokwane, Nelspruit, Rustenburg and Bloemfontein. These less visited provinces were earmarked for the VICs in preparation for the world cup, but also to grow their tourism arrivals from both local and international visitors.
According to Minister van Schalkwyk, the primary objective of the VIC project is to effectively address the tourism and information needs of the visitors expected to converge in the five host cities in 2010 and beyond. “The centres, funded by our department, create easy access and awareness of tourism related facilities and attractions within an area. VICs are a key element of the visitor industry and play an integral part in the marketing chain and information distribution system,” the Minister said.
“The centres provide tourists with a one stop service and will be able to assist with information on a wide range of tourism products including tourism information enquiries, reservations, accommodation, tours, vehicle hire, entertainment, dining, sports, adventure, shopping and travel tips,” according to Minister van Schalkwyk.
The target markets for the VICs include international tourists, local tourists, bed and breakfast establishments, homesteads, guesthouses, hotels, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), booking agencies and tourism agencies.
“The information and reservation system used in the centres was developed in South Africa and is designed to cater specifically for the South African market. It has the same functionality as much more expensive international systems. The local system will allow for more participation by the members of tourism authorities, smaller establishments and SMMEs,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.
The VICs were developed in line with international best practice following a feasibility study and host city needs analysis. International research was conducted in amongst others Sydney, Singapore, Dublin, Berlin, Hamburg, Tanzania and Dubai.
The centre was constructed based on an international best practice model that was developed by the department to ensure that the objectives are achieved. In Polokwane the centre will provide a one-stop information service to tourists requiring information on a wide range of tourism aspects including tourism information enquiries, business, reservations, accommodation, tours, vehicle hire, entertainment, dining, sports, adventure, shopping, travel tips.
Location is pivotal to the dissemination of information and the VIC in Polokwane is ideally located in the centre of town. It is easily accessible from the N1 coming from both Pretoria, in the south, and Zimbabwe, in the north. During the needs analysis a number of specific requirements were identified which are included in the final product. The construction of the Polokwane VIC was completed in July 2009
The Polokwane VIC is designed to offer a basket of facilities to tourists. The VIC includes a welcome area, lobby and an information area. In addition there is a trading area with a curio shop, internet café, coffee shop and a multi-purpose space which includes an interpretive area. The model was developed not only to assist with enhancing the experience of tourists but also to contribute to the local economic development of the region. Therefore the VIC components such as the trading area, internet café and coffee shop will be outsourced to a SMME.
The centre is also equipped with user friendly touch screens linked to a central database to cater for any tourist information requirements. In addition, hi-tech plasma screens display the tourism products on offer and the advertisements of local businesses. Furthermore the VIC will have Information officers at the main desk, brochure displays on assorted tourist attractions, Internet access and an online booking system.
The information technology component of the project was critical, as one of the key objectives of the project was the development of a cost effective information and reservation system. Using international best practice, a new visitor’s information system, namely Visitor Information Centres Enterprise Network Systems (VICENCYS), was developed to be used at all the information centres.
VICENSYS has the ability to allow users to plan and finalise a travel itinerary by means of touch screens or Web based technology. Furthermore, the system offers the tourist their own unique itinerary, which is accessible from anywhere in the world. The partners and stakeholders in this initiative include our department, Polokwane municipality and Anix Consulting. Sustainability of the project is assured as it is owned by the Polokwane local municipality, who is responsible to assist in enhancing the tourism offering of Polokwane.
For media queries contact:
Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871
Roopa Sing
Cell: 082 225 3076
Communications Officer at Polokwane municipality:
Phuti Lekganyane
Cell: 076 581 4616
Ministry of Tourism:
Natasha Rockman
Cell: 076 429 2264
Issued by: Department of Tourism
28 August 2009
