April 12, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
THE R20-million four-star hotel under construction at Freedom Square in Kliptown has been described as a quality structure that will help open the floodgates and allow the tourism industry in Soweto to realise its full potential.
These were the sentiments of Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk during a tour of the construction site on Tuesday, 11 April. He was accompanied by the chief executive of the Johannesburg Tourism Company, Eddy Khoza, and the deputy chairperson of the Soweto Tourism Association, Godfrey Mautloa.
"Two recent studies on tourism in Soweto have highlighted our challenges - showing that tourists arrive in large numbers, but that these arrivals often do not translate into longer stays or major spending in these areas. This development will hopefully fill a very important gap and offer top class accommodation for visitors to stay over in Soweto," Van Schalkwyk said.
The hotel, expected to open in October this year, will have 46 top-of-the-range rooms and two presidential suites. Van Schalkwyk said the tourism industry needed to diversify its tourism products by offering bed-and-breakfasts, backpacker accommodation and high-end options.
"We also need such developments to add new dimensions to our tourism offering - bringing business tourism, for instance, to places in which leisure tourism has been the major traditional draw card."
Van Schalkwyk said the hotel was expected to create 48 permanent jobs when complete. A lot of jobs would also be created through procurement of services from businesses based in the township.
Minister Van Schalkwyk takes a tour of the new R20-million hotel under construction in Kliptown
The construction of the hotel was not based on "emotion". "This is a business model which will, no doubt, be a great success," he said.
Asked whether the hotel visitors' security would be guaranteed, Van Schalkwyk said tourists would make their own choice whether to stay at the hotel or not. "But I am convinced that the occupancy rate at the hotel will be very high.
"We are taking measures to ensure that not only tourists staying at the hotel but those … staying at various B&Bs around Soweto are safe."
He said Sowetans were taking ownership of the developments in the township by patrolling the streets and making sure tourists enjoyed a safe environment.
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