uThukela District Municipality, in partnership with the Department of Economic Entrepreneurship, held a two-day Tourism and Entrepreneurship Careers Expo at the Indoor Sports Complex on February 23-24.
The Tourism Career Expo’s main focus was to facilitate interaction between the youth and relevant industry stakeholders, and it was also a way to highlight the training and employment opportunities available to the youth within the sector.
“Tourism is one of the main contributors to the economy, and the sector is now experiencing skill shortages and gaps. That is why it is important that learners know more about opportunities in tourism.
“I would like to urge all learners and young people to capitalise on this unique and beneficial opportunity as we strive to align and position the tourism industry as a career choice,” said District Mayor Siphiwe Mazibuko.
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“The 2016 annual report by the World Travel and Tourism Council announced that 10% of the South African economy comes from tourism and in KwaZulu-Natal, it’s 8% of the GDP, which is about 24 billion. The Department of Tourism also wants to refurbish the small airport in Ladysmith, which is not in good condition,” said MEC Zikalala.
The department will invest R2 million into this project and funds will be transferred to Alfred Duma Municipality.
The Tourism Career Expo exposes young people to job and entrepreneurial opportunities that exist in the sector. It also focuses on encouraging the youth to take tourism entrepreneurship seriously.
uThukela District Municipality invited industry players from various sub-sectors in tourism to showcase tourism products and expertise, and offer employment opportunities to unemployed graduates.
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