Headline »

September 16, 2017 – 2:31 am

In this insightful gem, journalist and life coach Wanda Hennig writes wisely, hilariously and sometimes poignantly about sex and food; living for three-and-a-half years at the San Francisco Zen Center; moving solo from one continent to another; meditation; creative mindfulness strategies and more. Cravings: A Zen-inspired memoir about sensual pleasures, freedom from dark places, and living and eating with abandon (Say Yes Press). Edition Two (Mouth Orgasm edition) published August 2017 (ISBN 9780996820523 paperback; ISBN 9780996820523 eBook).

Read the full story »
Home » Blogging and Vlogging, Durban, Featured, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Travel, Travel Writing, World Travel

South Africa launches ‘I Do Tourism’ at Indaba 2017

Submitted by on May 17, 2017 – 2:17 am
Indaba 2017 collage
Indaba 2017 people

Indaba 2017 walkabout day one.

South African Tourism has used INDABA 2017 as a platform to launch I Do Tourism (IDT)—an initiative that seeks to remind South Africans of the importance of the tourism industry and the role they can play as advocates for South Africa and for tourism.

President Jacob Zuma shared details of the new marketing strategy when he officially opened Africa’s annual biggest tourism trade show at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Center (ICC) in Durban yesterday (May 16, 2017).

The purpose of the campaign, according to SA Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona, who fleshed out the details at Indaba 2017’s well-attended buzzy and musical opening cocktail party, is to show the economic and social value of tourism in South Africa.

“Tourism has a ripple effect,” Ntshona said. “Each direct permanent tourism job opportunity that is created can have multiple spinoffs for transport, agriculture and other sectors.”

I Do Tourism will bring this message to the attention of the South African public by reminding them of tourism’s impact on the economy. The campaign will also showcase members of the industry, and provide a space for them to share their stories.

Seen at Indaba 2017

Icon Esther, beader extraordinaire, at Indaba 2017.

However, it is not only potential domestic tourists (and tourism advocates) who will be inspired by the campaign. SA Tourism is also aiming to motivate industry members to keep up their good work, and to remind government and other stakeholders of the importance of supporting the industry.

This is crucial, he pointed out, because although tourism contributes 3 percent to the nation’s economy and has created around 500,000 jobs, the majority of South Africans remain unaware of how their lives are affected when international travelers decide to visit the country; or even how their own holiday may help to better the lives of other South Africans.

In fact, for many South Africans, tourism remains inaccessible. It remains something that is “for other people” and therefore has little bearing on their day-to-day lives.

“This is precisely the attitude we hope to change through I Do Tourism,” Ntshona explains.

“We aim to remind South Africans that tourism is everyone’s business because all South Africans benefit through and from tourism. Tourism adds value to the lives of all South Africans in a range of ways.

“As South Africans we all have something to gain from the growth and development of our tourism industry that is why our involvement in rallying behind tourism is vitally important. The continued success of tourism benefits us all.”

Linked to this, the campaign draws attention to the fact that the impact of tourism is not industry-specific. Almost every sector within the South African economy is positively affected when people travel: from agriculture (which is required to increase output in order to feed visitors) to transport (as visitors need a means of getting around the country).

Finally, he stressed, we need to emphasise that, this being the case, tourism is integral to the growth and development of the country. It is therefore the duty of every South African to do what they can to support tourism. By doing so, they are contributing to the country’s economy.

“Ultimately, I Do Tourism seeks to make South Africans want to get behind tourism by seizing the economic opportunities within the tourism industry or by simply playing their part by making visitors feel welcome and providing assistance where necessary, whether that’s by giving directions or recommending a local attraction. If tourism wins, we all win,” Ntshona said.

Save

Save

Leave a comment

Add your comment below. You can also subscribe to these comments via RSS

Be nice. Keep it clean. Stay on topic. No spam.

You can use these tags:

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong> 

This is a Gravatar-enabled weblog. To get your own globally-recognized-avatar, please register at Gravatar

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap