A sum of 110 million Rand (about 7.5 million US dollars) has been set aside to promote domestic tourism, says South African Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom.

Tabling the Tourism Department’s Budget vote in the National Assembly here on Tuesday, he said the growth of domestic tourism depended on the government’s ability to make the country’s tourist attractions and facilities accessible and affordable for more locals.

“South Africa Tourism has been allocated 110 million Rand to promote domestic tourism this year. Among several other initiatives, a series of television commercials has been produced telling the stories of South Africans travelling for the first time and how much it means to them. This will inspire others to do the same,” he said.

Hanekom said the Association of Southern African Travel Agencies and SA Tourism were forging a partnership to extend corporate travel into leisure while a project has been initiated to take children on visits to the country’s World heritage Sites and attractions operated by the South African National Parks (SANParks) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

“This will help ignite their curiosity about their country and the many special places to visit. It will also establish their desire to become tourists in their own country,” he said.

“This is really just the beginning – the promotion of domestic tourism and the creation of opportunities for lower income South Africans to share in the wonders of our country is so important to us, that there is much, much more to come.”

The Minister also said that the department was reviewing the National Tourism Sector Strategy, which was ten years old, against current trends in the domestic and international environment. The strategy will soon be published for public comment.

SOURCE:NAM NEWS NETWORK