THURSDAY, 20 APRIL 2006:
At our annual Indaba last year we issued a challenge
to the tourism industry - to rise above the already-record
tourism arrival figures of 6.7 million in 2004,
and to break the key psychological barrier of
7 million international arrivals in 2005. Today
we see the fruits of that labour with the announcement
of the spectacular performance of tourism last
year - not only meeting, but far exceeding that
goal and every expectation. This was the jubilant
response of Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, to the release
on Thursday by StatsSA of the annual tourist arrival
figures for 2005.
The fact that more than 7.3
million international travellers experienced the
excitement, energy and dynamism of South Africa
last year is the most positive indicator yet that
we are set to scale new peaks of tourism success,
said the Moeketsi Mosola, CEO of South African
Tourism. Minister van Schalkwyk further added
"This is only the beginning. Tourism has
been tasked with a number of major national responsibilities.
The targets for job creation and increased contribution
to GDP, set in terms of our Accelerated and Shared
Growth Initiative (ASGISA), have established great
expectations - and these arrival figures confirm
that we are well on our way to realising that
potential.
Commending all tourism role-players
for the major increase the Minister said: We
have ignited the South African brand and are using
it to set alight the possibilities. From China
to Paris, from New York to Nairobi the word is
out - South Africa is the place where everything
is possible, and all people are welcome. We must
recognise the role played by every member of our
tourism sector in this success - from the Management
of SA Tourism to our partners in the private sector;
from educational institutions to the smallest
tourism operators and guides in the most remote
parts of South Africa. This success is your success.
Our shared challenge now is to boost this achievement
to even greater heights in 2006 and beyond.
