Question NW2057 to the Minister of Tourism

Reply:

a) Townships and (b) villages

Advocacy and Awareness initiative is implemented through partnerships with the Provincial Departments of Tourism, the Provincial Tourism Agencies and SANParks to develop awareness platforms in order to empower youth, unemployed graduates, students and high school learners. The initiative further promotes the importance of travel and tourism by creating platforms for information sharing and career guidance workshops in order to encourage learners to take tourism as a subject at secondary school and to pursue a career within the sector. The advocacy and awareness initiative targets learners from secondary schools including those in townships and villages.

The initiative entails the following:-

The Walk and Learn on the Wild Side (WALOW) Awareness.The programme is hosted in SANParks (Kruger National Park) on annual basis, targeting grade 10 to 12 learners from previously disadvantaged schools.

National Tourism Careers Expo (NTCE)

The Department hosts the annual National Tourism Careers Expo (NTCE) with Industry Stakeholders that exhibit various career opportunities and share information. The NTCE primary target group are secondary school learners from both rural villages and townships. The NTCE exposes learners to careers in areas of hospitality, food and beverage and travel. Other multiple interactive side platforms are established at the NTCE that include the following:

• Chefs Corner which practically demonstrates to learners how exciting and interesting Chefing can be as a profession.
• Mixology Corner is a platform where Bar Tenders (Mixologists) demonstrate the art of mixing drinks into cocktails, be they alcoholic and or non-alcoholic.
• Hospitality Corner is where a hotel environment is displayed with front of house activities (Reception), back of house (Management, finance, accounts and maintenance), Room Services).
• Youth Business Zone is where young people especially those who are doing final year in their studies are invited to pitch new tourism business ideas that can be nurtured and fine-tuned with the help of professionals in government.

Other platforms include Debates and Schools Competition, Educators Seminars, Conservation Corner, Entrepreneur Corner, Aviation Corner and more.