17 July 2015
A heritage tourism route tracing the journey of Nelson Mandela in the Western Cape will be submitted to Cabinet for approval next month.
The provincial minister of economic opportunities, Alan Winde, said yesterday that as part of the province’s growth strategy, entitled Project Khulisa, a series of initiatives were being proposed to boost Western Cape’s heritage tourism offering.
Five sites had been identified for the proposed Mandela journey: Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison, Drakenstein Correctional Centre, City Hall and Parliament.
The proposal would be included in an action plan aimed at growing the tourism industry in the province.
“Project Khulisa has shown that under a high-growth scenario we can increase the economic contribution of the tourism sector by up to R28-billion from R17-billion,” Winde said.
“Under this same scenario, it could add up to 100 000 formal jobs. Currently, 204 000 residents are formally employed in the tourism sector.”
The proposal stemmed from South African Tourism’s mobile app, which was based on the “Madiba-inspired tourism attractions” map, he explained.
“The map was launched in 2014 to encourage local and international tourists to walk in the footsteps of Madiba.”
Source: News24Wire
