September 20, 2006
By Anish Abraham
JOBURG and the rest of the province is to celebrate Tourism Month in grand style, with the Absa Soweto Festival, from 22 to 25 September, set to be the main event.
Billed as the "ultimate Soweto experience", the festival is just one of a wide range of activities announced by the Gauteng Tourism Authority at a press briefing at its Newtown headquarters on 19 September.
Several other events have also been planned around the province, not only as a part of Tourism Month, but also as part of Heritage Month and Heritage Day, which falls on 24 September. The theme of Tourism Month this year is "Tourism enriches".
The Mandela house in Soweto attracts many visitors
A short video titled It's possible was shown at the briefing, illustrating that apart from the gold traditionally associated with the province, it also has a rich blend of culture and heritage.
"Where else can you find a street that is home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners?" the video asks, referring to the Soweto homes of world icon Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
"Indeed it is possible in Gauteng," stated Cawe Mahlati, the chief executive of the Gauteng Tourism Authority. "Contrary to perceptions, Gauteng attracts just over 50 percent of all internal tourists in the country. We are the leaders when it comes to tourism."
She said that despite the statistics, most people refer to Cape Town and the Western Cape or Durban and KwaZulu-Natal as the country's leading tourist destinations.
"This is a myth and it is important that we get the correct information out there. Actually, Soweto is the third most visited tourism site in South Africa," she said.
Gauteng is known more for its business tourism rather than leisure tourism, though the latter is on the increase. The province also attracts large numbers of shoppers from across southern Africa, and they, too, count as tourists.
"Shopping is one of our primary tourist experiences – those are tourists," explained Mahlati. "The World Trade Organisation states that any person who goes to another destination and spends 48 hours or more there is a tourist."
Absa Soweto Festival
The festival traces its roots back to 1983, when it began as the Soweto Home-Makers' Fair. In 2005 there were more than 350 exhibition stands as companies tried to gain favour with the township's expanding middle class. And the visitors were entertained by top musicians from a variety of musical genres.
According to Mapula Maphai, the media liaison person for festival organisers Adele Lucas Promotions, the Absa Soweto Festival "is the principal event in Soweto that draws together business, small and medium enterprises, youth, community organisations, consumers and all the people of Soweto on an annual basis to celebrate [the area's] richness and diversity".
The festival will be set out according to seven themes, namely travel and tourism; arts, culture and heritage; lifestyle and leisure; entertainment; sports and recreation; careers and youth development; and small, medium and micro enterprises.
Fitting in with Heritage Day, it will be held at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown, one of Soweto's oldest townships. The square was the site where the Freedom Charter was signed in 1955.
As Heritage Day falls on Sunday, the organisers have plenty of entertainment lined up, mainly by local gospel singers. It is expected that more than 40 000 people will visit the Soweto Festival over its four days.
Benefiting the economy
Mahlati said that while it was the obligation of the provincial tourism authority and other tourism promotion bodies, such as the Johannesburg Tourism Company, to promote the area as a viable destination, it was also important for residents to become ambassadors for their communities.
"Tourism also helps in achieving sustainable economic development in Gauteng," added Lungi Morrison, the authority's senior manager for corporate communications.
Referring to the theme of this year's Tourism Month celebrations, "Tourism enriches", Morrison said that tourism not only enriched the broader provincial economy, but also provided numerous opportunities for local communities, entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises.
Tourism also assisted in the development of previously disadvantaged areas, with township tours becoming a huge part of the tourism industry, while the authority had links with tourism associations in all major townships.
Echoing these sentiments, Mahlati explained that the Johannesburg Tourism Company had been mandated to look into previously disadvantaged communities and help them to bring viable tourism products on to the market.
2010
And, of course, there is the soccer world cup in 2010, a football spectacular that seems set to affect every industry and change the face of urban South Africa. With the competition getting nearer as each day passes, much has been spoken about and done to ensure that local entrepreneurs capitalise on South Africa's hosting of the tournament.
"Another of the tourist experiences we offer here is sport, and Gauteng will benefit directly from the hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup," Mahlati said.
It is expected that 24 matches will be played within the province, providing huge opportunities for the accommodation, catering, transport, entertainment and guided tours industries.
"Gauteng is where Africa meets. It is a wonderful fusion of language, cultures and experiences," she concluded.
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