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FFacilitating inclusive growth through tourism
South Africa continues to explore meaningful ways of ensuring the tourism sector benefits all, particularly youth and women, so that the country could achieve inclusive economic growth that will help tackle the endemic poverty and inequality. To this end, Meetings Africa is a key event in the MICE sector that benefits all of Africa. “It is the ultimate platform for the regional business events industry to engage in a bid to attract more global and regional business events to Africa,” Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko KubayiNgubane said at a recent SA Tourism panel discussion event at the JSE. The business events sector is crucial to the tourism industry as well as the economy of our country and continent, she added. “The tourism industry directly and indirectly sustains more than 250 000 jobs, and contributes an estimated R115 billion to South Africa’s GDP, annually. Africa’s growing economies, improved infrastructure and growing tourism sector in globalised environment have led to the improvement in the continent’s MICE supply sector.”
Accommodating more South Africans in the tourism sector is necessary and urgent, and requires effective communication to targeted groups about economic opportunities to be had. “Many sectors, such as construction, medical research and technological, benefit when business tourists invest in the country even after the events they come to attend. Tourism can, therefore, lead to inclusive growth, which simply means that everyone will be involved,” Economist Xhanti Phayi said at the event. The tourism sector could tap into the vast pool of unemployed graduates as well. The notion of using tourism to boost African economies is a fundamental aim of Meeting Africa. It allows diverse role players to showcase products and services that help advance the interests of the continent, together. “It’s important that we use the business events sector to showcase the capabilities of the continent. It’s important that Africa speaks with one voice, for the continent to hunt together. That’s why these business meetings events such as Meetings Africa need to rotate within the continent. When one African country grows in tourism, we all grow,” SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona said.
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15 YEARS OF ADVANCING AFRICA
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