Know your country
“Our objection as the Department of Tourism is to turn that narrative around and change people’s negative perception about leisure, travelling and tourism,” said Manale.
The National Department of Tourism has unveiled a holiday campaign to boost tourism and encourage local communities to travel and explore the country.
Speaking to journalists and travel bloggers during a presentation of the campaign at the historic Lilliesfield Farm in Rivonia on March 15, the chief director of communication for the Department of Tourism, Blessing Manale, and his team of dedicated tourism experts made a passionate plea to South Africans of all races to aspire to travel and explore their country.
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Manale described South Africa as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and said it’s abundant beauty, landscapes, holiday resorts and top-class hotels are enjoyed by millions of visitors from around the globe each year. He said the only people who seem to be missing out on the fun are the people in our communities.
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He added the country is also home to several world acclaimed destinations. These holiday destinations, Manila explained, also came in the form of dams, caves, historical monuments, heritage sites and many others.
Manale admitted that while tourism may not be big among local black South Africans, statistics have in the past few years revealed a sizeable growth in the number of local black people who have entered the travelling and tourism space.
“South Africa is endowed not only with beautiful sunny summer holiday weather, but we also have a variety of other tourist destinations throughout the nine provinces to cater and suit all forms of travel leisure,” explained Manila.
He urged local communities to take advantage of the many available tourist destinations in their neighbourhood. Manala added that every tourism outlet and destination in the country is at all times ready to welcome both local and foreign tourists.
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“We, therefore, urge local tourists to join us in this campaign in a bid to expand their travel experience and leisure. The Department of Tourism wants South Africans of all races to get out there and enjoy all the facilities open to them for their holiday and travel leisure,” explained Manale.
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