SADC tourism has more room for growth – Martinus van Schalkwyk
22. Oct, 2008
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Sandton – The two day Investor Conference whose objective is to raise awareness about investment opportunities in the seven Transfrontier Conservation Areas, TFCAs, within SADC ended today. 51 packaged investment opportunities which range from small and medium type lodges to luxury five star lodges were presented to potential investors and financiers. The two day conference is hosted under the Boundless Southern Africa brand on behalf of nine SADC Countries (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe) by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in South Africa.
Addressing the four hundred delegates comprising of the 130 potential Investors, financiers, conservation agencies and government officials of the nine countries, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Martinus van Schalkwyk said the shortage of well packaged and bankable projects and limited awareness of investment opportunities in TFCAs hindered tourism growth in the region. The seven TFCAs are /Ai/Ais/Richtersveld, Great Limpopo, Kgalagadi, Kavango-Zambezi, Limpopo-Shashe, Lubombo and Maloti-Drakensberg
He however said he hoped that investing in tourism facilities will increase the tremendous potential of the tourism industry to address regional development needs. One of the aims of the TFCA strategy is to use the 2010 Soccer World Cup event as a launching pad to brand and develop the region as a preferred tourism and investment destination.
The conference also announced the Boundless Southern Africa expedition led by National Geographic Explorer Kinglsey Holgate. The objective of the expedition is to market the Boundless Southern Africa brand and raise awareness of the available opportunities in the TFCAs . The expedition starts early next year at the mouth of the Orange river (at the /Ai/Ais/Richtersveld )and will end at the National Tourism Indaba in Durban in May 2009.
The next critical steps for the Boundless Southern Africa following the conference are:
- To produce a report detailing the status quo of the interest shown in the investment initiative of the tourism by January 2009.
- Continuous communication with key Investors and TFCAs to monitor progress.
- Continue with targeted investment promotions.
“Without partnerships and investment, conservation cannot benefit those whose survival is dependent on it. Let us work together to create new opportunities. Let us take delight in the connections between us and focus our collective creativity, ingenuity and passion on sharing the treasures of our beautiful region with the rest of the world, said Minister van Schalkwyk.
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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