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CHOPPING WOOD IN THE WRONG
FOREST SA Tourism Branch
Participates at a Workshop on Managing Tourism
Destinations Writes: Edwin
Sipho Rihlamvu Officials from
the Tourism Branch will never be the same, post
their participation at a two-day workshop that was
designed to equip them with information on the
workings of the tourism industry value chain! This
workshop, which was held on 11 - 12 September 2006
at a graded venue in Pretoria, was a collaborative
initiative of DEAT and the United Nations World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Rightly so, because
it is imperative to equip people who are to lead
discourses within the tourism industry with current
trends so that they are articulate on such, thereby
becoming true captains in steering the tourism ship
to higher ground. In the opening
address, Ms Patience Molokoza, Director &endash;
International Tourism Relations observed that
"Tourism enterprises should, without exception,
focus on creating products that appeal to the
international market, which of course goes
hand-in-hand with sound business management.
However, chief of all is designing tools that
should be capable of bridging skills gaps in the
tourism sector in order to increase its global
competitiveness". The insatiable
menu on the day included comparative presentations
and discussions on competitive strategy as a basis
for destination policy and planning, strategic
destination marketing, the tourism value chain as a
basis for destination planning and management, the
travel distribution channel &endash; role
clarification and marketing partnerships amongst
others. "Tourism is such
a dynamic enterprise to the effect that its demand
changes faces every time &endash; what is a pool
attraction today before the eye of a tourist may
not hold true tomorrow. Thus the need to learn from
success models in the world on how to differentiate
and position our tourism products " said Dr Mike
Fabricius, a respected commentator and strategist
on destination marketing who was co-facilitating
the workshop. The highlights
of the workshop were two stark realizations: that
whereas tourism is government &endash; led and
private sector driven, there should be seamless
energies which are deployed into ensuring
cooperation, including community participation in
planning and managing tourism destinations.
Secondly, that it was no longer fashionable to
compete but rather to cooperate with once'
competitors with the view of together growing the
tourism pie and outsmarting them to a bigger
slice! "This workshop
has galvanized me to the reality that there is much
more to tourism than meets the eye! I am sure to
make a contribution much more effectively post this
day!" whispered Ms Bahupileng Peege, Deputy
Director, Tourism Intergovernmental Relations who
was seated next to me! Professor Ernie
Heath, from the School of Tourism at the University
of Pretoria closed the workshop by cautioning
participants against the temptation of designing
tourism products without having conducted proper
market research. He succinctly said: "Research
should form the basis of the destination management
cycle. Otherwise, you may be CHOPPING WOOD IN THE
WRONG FOREST!" |
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