By: ANG Reporter
On Sunday morning, thousands of people of KwaZulu-Natal lined up the streets encouraging more than 15 000 runners who are taking part in the 89km Comrades Marathon.
“The mood as we arrived at the stadium ignited hope for a better future. We remain confident that indeed, our tourism industry will be stimulated with job opportunities created for many of our people,” Dube-Ncube said.
“The event brings millions into the local economy and ensures the stimulation of different sectors of the economy. By Thursday, we had already recorded accommodation occupancies of more than 93% in Pietermaritzburg – with Durban and Umhlanga at 69%.”
“We are satisfied with the work done by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Siboniso Duma and all entities under his department, such as KZN Tourism Authority in terms of working with stakeholders in the entire value chain of the tourism industry.”
Dube-Ncube thanked her MEC for Arts, Culture, and Sports Amanda Bani-Mapena and her team who” have worked well with the leadership of Comrades Marathon Association to ensure that we stage the most successful race”.
“Equally, we thank eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, Durban Tourism, Durban Metro Police, and all councillors for the hard work over the past months. A special tribute to the leadership of Umgungundlovu and Umsunduzi municipalities.”
“In particular, we thank stakeholders in the industry and the people of KwaZulu-Natal for looking after runners who are accompanied by families and their friends. Let us make sure that international and national runners, their families, and friends enjoy the diversity of our cultures as we mark Heritage and Tourism Month in September.”
“Importantly, as we stated in our engagement with Proudly South Africa, our message is that local government is where tourism happens. We are emphasizing the point that local government is best placed to create a memorable experience for tourists.”
“Our message is that we are committed in harnessing the potential of tourism to transform the lives of rural communities. In this regard, we are supporting women-owned establishments. We know that economic activity across the tourism value chain contributes significantly to GDP.”
“Tourism already provides substantial resources to advance transformation. We are the link between the success of tourism and the success of transformation. This puts a huge responsibility on our shoulders We have also asked a question – what defines success for tourism?”
“Of course, we will not know whether our efforts are yielding fruit unless we are clear about what actually defines success for tourism. We have traditional measurements like tourist arrivals, the number of jobs supported by tourism, and the contribution of tourism to the GDP.”
“These dimensions are measured annually, and they enable us to conclude, based on statistical data, that the tourism sector is indeed a force for good, and it is a force that is growing every year. We will need to measure how inclusive this growth is, and how many more marginalised people and communities we are bringing into the tourism mainstream. ”
“We will need to measure how successful we are at promoting responsible tourism that is socially, commercially, and environmentally sustainable. Through advancing these two strategic imperatives – greater inclusivity and greater sustainability – we will improve the lives of all our people now, and we will ensure that tourism continues to benefit future generations.”
Dube-Ncube said much more could be achieved when the private sector approached transformation as a business imperative.” Much more can be achieved by looking beyond issues of compliance, by seeking out and adopting innovations that bring fundamental change.”
