October 7, 2005
By Buhle Makabane
THERE is a new captain at the wheel of the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC). Eddy Khosa, the company's former deputy executive officer, now sits in the chief executive's chair.
And one of his first tasks is to enhance the profile of Johannesburg as a leisure destination for local and international visitors, under the theme, Enjoy another day in Johannesburg.
Khosa, who replaces Deon Viljoen, is ecstatic about his appointment.
"I am thrilled and I would like to thank the former chief executive for encouraging me to join the company, the JTC board and the City of Johannesburg for their vote of confidence."
Since July 2003, the company had concentrated on promoting Johannesburg as a dynamic business tourism destination as well as on information dissemination, Khosa said.
"Spearheading the business tourism marketing strategy was the establishment of a convention bureau to explore and assist selected customers to obtain support and sponsor major national and international conferences and events."
Khosa said there would be a more aggressive drive to make available quality tourism information.
Themed tour routes, which include tours of Joburg's mines and Soweto's historical Vilakazi Street, were being explored as packages to market to tour operators.
This would involve a wide range of actions, from new signage to highlighting the quality of the city's attractions and making them more accessible to tourists.
The new chief's plans included establishing tourism signs for Alexandra and Soweto products, such as meeting areas, pubs and guesthouses.
Coupled with such actions, Khosa said, was the question of entrepreneurship. The JTC had established a close working relationship with the City's economic development unit, which markets the city and sets strategic parameters for tourism.
"Together with the council's department of economic development, we plan to place greater emphasis on development of tourism initiatives in previously disadvantaged communities."
Among these were tourism safety and security, tourism training, empowerment in tourism, tourism investment and infrastructure development, product development, skills development, donor funding, inter-governmental relations and overall tourism policy and strategy, he said.
The JTC aimed to find sponsorships and support to train potential entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities.
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