This September, while South Africans reconnected with their past by visiting heritage institutions, they also actively participated in Tourism Month, under the banner “I do Tourism Sustainably”, which is aligned to the United Nations tourism theme: “Sustainable Tourism for Development.”
Sustainable tourism establishes an equilibrium between the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism.
Its intention is to minimize impact on the environment and local culture so that it will be available for future generations, yet at the same time, contributing to income generation, employment, and reducing poverty.
Sustainable tourism furthermore ensures that development creates a positive experience for local communities, tourism businesses, and tourists.
A special focus will be placed on domestic tourism in Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Free State and Northern Cape with the aim of addressing the ongoing challenge of the lack of geographic spread of this industry by encouraging domestic tourists to consider these as ideal tourist destinations.
“Tourism is a positive determinant of economic growth and job creation. The National Development Plan has identified tourism as one of the main drivers in the economy.
“Economic flows generated by international tourism have become factors in economic growth, however domestic tourism is equally important. Let’s work together to make domestic tourism sustainable and attain the goal of reaching one million more domestic holiday tourists and four million more international tourists in the next five years,” said Minister Dlodlo.
