City hosts provincial tourism awards
'We want to decentralise the hosting of big events and conferences and not only have them in Durban.'
KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Sihle Zikalala, has urged all municipalities in the province to work in a collaborative manner to promote tourism.
Speaking the fifth Lilizela Tourism Awards at the uMfolozi Casino Resort last Thursday night, Zikalala said:
‘In all districts comparative and competitive advantages should be used to complement each, rather than trying to outdo each other.’
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Zikalala said the main objective of these annual awards, at both provincial and national levels, is to recognise and celebrate individual role-players and tourism businesses for their excellence and their contribution to South Africa’s global competitiveness.
‘We should always bear in mind that we have a duty to sell the province of KwaZulu-Natal in its entirety, the Republic of South Africa and indeed the neighbouring countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.’
He said his department opted to host the Lilizela awards in the King Cetshwayo district instead of Durban in line with the commitment of ensuring all parts of the province benefit from the lucrative tourism industry.
‘We want to decentralise the hosting of big events and conferences and not only have them in Durban.
‘This intervention is a deliberate attempt to stimulate the events and conferencing business in other parts of the province, thereby ensuring that other pillars of tourism would thrive, but this is not in any way meant to undermine Durban’s tourism successes, ‘ he said.
‘All of us need to move away from our comfort zones and embrace the fact that we have only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to exploiting our tourism potential.
‘The KZN government is receptive to new and innovative ideas that will take the tourism industry to new heights, ideas that will help to accelerate the transformation of this sector,’ Zikalala said.
* To view a full and comprehensive list of the provincial winners in the various categories, please click here
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