Tourism month: Eastern Cape leading "winds of change"

FROM cultural craft projects featuring a diverse range of products from beadwork and traditional fashions to township B&Bs and emergent tour operators, the Eastern Cape is without a doubt putting tourism to work in an impressive way. Many of these, including several small 'cottage-style' industries that - following considerable successes - are now employing scores of people - were on display at Berlin, a tiny town in the Greater East London Metro District and location of Sunday's launch of Tourism Month 2000 by Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mohammed Valli Moosa. The Minister was, together with visiting role-players, visibly impressed by the obvious industry buy-in from local entrepreneurs. "Here, you can see the visible winds of change that tourism can bring," he told the large assembled crowd. "The goal of Tourism Month is to create top-of-the-mind awareness of tourism," he said, adding that Berlin had been chosen as the launch site because it offered "a wealth of history and culture, with the potential of hosting cultural and historical tours to monuments such as SEK Mqayi, Steve Biko and Mxenge's graves", the Bisho Massacre Stone also being only 20km away from the "little dorpie" (small town). "Bringing this event to Berlin will stimulate the community's awareness of tourism and its benefits to the people, giving them an opportunity to showcase the wealth and diversity of their hidden treasures," the Minister added. During his opening address, E Cape MEC for Tourism, Enoch Godongwana, acknowledged the challenges posed by the province's ageing infrastructure, especially in relation to the road network which, he said, was now receiving "high priority". He reported that money had been allocated for the urgent upgrade of the N6 together with a number of the more important feeder roads needed to serve tourism requirements. East London's mayor, Mr Lulamile Nazo, hailed local efforts at kick-starting tourism-related products, saying that the enthusiasm displayed boded well for the future of the region and would go a long way towards addressing a number of social problems as well as that of unemployment. "We can see what happens when people work together to be creative," he said. Berlin was the second stop on Tourism Month's 'Voyage of Discovery', a seven-day train journey which - starting in Cape Town last Friday - will see a select number of stakeholders, including a contingent of local and international media, visit a total of six provinces prior to its completion in Johannesburg on Thursday. The 'Voyage' will, amongst other places, be stopping at Louis Trichardt in the Northern Province on September 6 where a full day of activities has been organised by the Northern Province Tourism Board. These include a visit to the Phiphidi waterfalls and an evening gala event at which the Tourism Board's Scholarship Scheme will be launched and the announcement made of the province's 'Good Samaritans'. (Elizabeth Sheridan)