Spirit of optimism must be harnessed

WE are already well into the new year and with the holidays over and school doors open, the busy roads tell us we are ‘back to normal’ as far as life in general is concerned.

During the December break, the ruling party held its elective conference and the change of leadership will presumably filter down to the district and local government level.

On that count, an atmosphere of positivity and optimism seems to prevail.

Though we may differ on how to get there, everybody wants the same thing: peace and prosperity through job creation.

There are signs the economy might improve and the public and private sectors need to grab every opportunity available.

All the fundamentals for good growth are present in this region – the deep water port, massive global industries, the RBIDZ and generally sound infrastructure.

While far from over, the drought situation has eased slightly and hopefully this improvement will continue with more good rains, to the benefit of the local economy.

And while the business sector battles to gain lost ground against a general worldwide slowdown, the role that can be played by tourism in boosting the economy must again be given priority.

This sector still remains largely untapped and needs to benefit from public and private partnership drivers and strategies.

Of all assets in the region, tourism remains the best bet as a sustainable income generator for all communities.

It has many facets, including the ‘health tourism’ sector which the city has promoted with vigour in the past year.

On that note, the opening of a new hospital in the area has provided jobs and will attract welcome business rands the patients bring.

Also on our recent newspaper pages was the sighting of a rare Lesser Frigatebird – a reminder that birding tourism is a huge business that should be even more widely marketed.

Over the festive season, the Zululand Yacht Club was filled with international boats, while both local fishing clubs saw trailers spill into neighbouring parking lots as scores of inland and local deep sea boats took advantage of the perfect angling opportunities.

We are a tourism mecca in the making and a place of genuine opportunity on many fronts.

We encourage every citizen to be proud of what we have here, to speak positively of the region and to contribute meaningfully to making this a better place for all.