Tourism Minister and Deputy Minister Lead Summer Campaign Activation in Durban

 

By Fred Felton | Dec. 23, 2024

Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille and Deputy Minister, Maggie Sotyu visited various sites in the eThekwini Municipality as part of Summer Campaign activations on 18 December 2024.

Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille and a Tourism delegation thanking staff at the Elangeni Hotel for their hard work.  | Photo: Fred Felton. 

This visit formed part of the summer readiness activations and welcoming local and international tourists who will visit various holiday destinations across the country over the summer period.

As December marks the start of the peak tourism season for South Africa and Minister de Lille and Deputy Minister, Sotyu spent time at key tourist sites to engage in activities as part of the summer readiness campaign.

Minister de Lille and Deputy Minister Sotyu started the day at the Elangeni hotel on the Durban beachfront to thank the staff for their commitment and hard work in promoting and growing the tourism sector.

Next the Minister and Deputy Minister visited the beach front and joined the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers in a beach clean-up operation.

Minister of Tourism, Patrica de Lille and a tourism delegation joined the EPWP workers as part of her tour of Durban. | Photo: Fred Felton. 

After that the Minister addressed 50 senior citizens hosted by the Department of Tourism at the start of their Open Bus Tour to uShaka Marine World, joining tourism monitors on their patrol on the Durban beach front and ending with a senior citizens lunch at one of Durban’s beach front restaurants.

‘’As South Africa’s summer holiday season peaks and visitors venture out to explore our diverse travel offerings, we visited these sites to inspect summer readiness and to encourage visitors to explore the country responsibly. This roadshow is part of the broader objectives of the Tourism Sector Masterplan to promote tourist attractions and hidden gems in all our provinces,’’ said Minister de Lille.

The Department of Tourism is part of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group tasked with addressing various issues in eThekwini.

One of the workstreams of this group is the Tourism Revitalisation workstream where the Department of Tourism’s actions as part of the tourism revitalization work includes beach clean-ups and general clean up initiatives around the city.

‘’The clean-up programmes have been a resounding success, with over 800 participants mobilized to date. These participants include EPWP workers, tourism monitors, volunteers from government, local businesses, NGOs, and local communities, showcasing a collective commitment to revitalising eThekwini,’’ Minister de Lille said.

A total of 78 Tourism Monitors have been deployed to various sites in the eThekwini region to supplement police safety initiatives.

‘’The Tourism Monitors Programme is part of the National Tourism Safety Plan to enhance tourism safety awareness at key tourism sites: to upskill unemployed youth and to reduce tourist vulnerabilities,’’ Deputy Minister, Maggie Sotyu said.

Minister de Lille and Deputy Minister Sotyu also extended their best wishes to all visitors and South Africans for a safe and happy holiday season encouraging all travellers to be safe, take care on the roads and enjoy summer responsibly.