Tourism is Mpumalanga's Gemstone – MEC Phosa

MEC Mrs YN 'Pinky' Phosa says Mpumalanga, as South Africa's tourist destination of choice, has much potential to improve its domestic standing given its diverse offering from cultural experiences and breathtaking scenery. She said this after the official opening of the 2013 Tourism Indaba held at the ICC in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

“I believe that our province has much to offer to local tourists. We offer diverse cultural experiences, and we are the only province in South Africa which boosts a window to God the Almighty – our breathtaking picturesque 'God's Window.' Information released by South African Tourism indicates that Mpumalanga is renowned for shopping, wildlife and natural attractions. It is therefore our intention to grow our tourism sector, and improve our domestic tourism from position 7 to at least position 3,” said MEC Phosa.

Earlier in the day, she accompanied the Minister of Tourism, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk and his Deputy, Ms Thokozile Xasa, and other provincial tourism MECs on a walk-about at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC and the Durban Exhibition Centre.

“Tourism is our gemstone in Mpumalanga. We will harness it given that it has the potential to create the much needed job opportunities for our people. It is said that nine (9) tourists create one (1) direct job. In 2011, our province received 3, 5 million tourists, of which 1, 3 million were international tourists. Just the arrival of international tourists created over 146 000 direct jobs in our province,” added Mrs Phosa.

She also attended the Tourism MinMEC – which is an intergovernmental forum on Tourism chaired by the Minister of Tourism, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, and attended by the nine tourism MECs in the country, Tourism Director General, Provincial tourism Heads of Departments; and CEOs of Tourism Authorities (national and provincial).

“Come next year, our province will be fully represented through the MTPA, and our hope is to also attend international exhibition showcases to market and promote our Province,” concluded the MEC.

The Tourism Indaba in an annual event held under the auspices of South African Tourism, which is a continental platform to promote tourism in SADC and Africa. Thousands of people visit the marketing show to interact with businesses, tour operators and tourism marketing agencies spanning from as far as Zambia, Kenya, Mauritius, Lesotho, Swaziland, to mention but a few.