Cape Town - As tourism industry looks at rebuilding and reigniting inclusive economic growth, the rich history of the indigenous San community nestled near Yzerfontein was recognised on Sunday.
This as Tourism Month was launched at !Khwa ttu Heritage Centre under the banner “Rethinking Tourism: Opportunities Await”.
Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said there was renewed hope on the horizon as visitors were responding positively to the call to come to South Africa and “Live Again”.
“This recovery is evident in the domestic tourism performance figures for the first half of 2022, with holiday trips increasing tremendously.
“Domestic travel figures have exceeded 2019 which is really fantastic and in the first half of the year, South Africa recorded over a 100% increase in domestic trips compared to the same period in 2021.
We are also seeing a significant increase in domestic spend.
“Following the easing of travel restrictions from our key source markets, we are seeing steady growth in our international arrivals. In the first half of the year, South Africa recorded year-to-date international arrivals of 2.3 million.
This is an increase of 147% when compared to the same period in 2021,” said Sisulu. She said her department had put out a Draft Framework for Community Participation in Tourism (FCPT) for public comments and were in the process of finalising it.
The goal of the FCPT is to guide the department, provincial tourism departments, and other key tourism stakeholders in their efforts to encourage community participation in the tourism sector and, as a result, to increase the positive impact tourism can have on local economic development and community quality of life.
Acting chief executive of SA Tourism Themba Khumalo said Travel Week would start on Monday.
Khumalo encouraged South Africans to travel and explore their country at discounted rates.
South African San Council secretary-general, Collin Louw said: “Today is a very big and good day for us as the San community because our rich history is receiving the exposure it really deserves and needs.
However there is still a long way to go, we feel that in some cases we are only a subject of tourism.
It’s other people who share or speak about the San people.
We have our own tour guides who have been trained and educated about our history but they are not given opportunities in some tourism sites to be the ones who tell their own cultural stories.
“There is not much inclusiveness in the tourism industry for the San people.
We want to be part of the rock arts in KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces. One of many beliefs we have is sharing what we have and tourism is about sharing experiences to both the international and local tourists.
We hope the Minister and all stakeholders took note of what we said because we can add value.”
Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger said !Khwa ttu saw close to 20 000 visitors before the pandemic.
“!Khwa ttu forms part of the Cradle of Human Culture Routes, here on the West Coast and along the south coast of the province.”
Cape Times