TOURISM
Unleashing the Vaal’s
tourism potential The Vaal region has a number of areas with intrinsic potential for tourism, such as Suikerbosrand, the Vaal Dam, areas along the Vaal River, and numerous other historical sites.
T
o unlock and maximise the tourism potential, a Tourism Development Strategy for the area was developed and adopted, and tourism principles, programmes and projects were encapsulated in the Sedibeng Growth and Development Strategy. The tourism strategies have the following goals: • Develop a common understanding of the tourism industry, defining the roles and the responsibilities of government in particular and the broader stakeholder groups, in growing the tourism industry in Sedibeng. • Develop and formulate strategies to be implemented by each stakeholder group in relation to their respective roles, taking the strengths and weaknesses of the Sedibeng tourism sector into consideration. • Build the capacity of the three major stakeholder groupings (government, private sector and community) to grow tourism and subsequently economic and job opportunities. In order to realise these objectives, various key performance areas have been identified. These are: tourism policy, strategy, regulations,
monitoring and evaluation; tourism institutional arrangements; tourism demand: destination marketing; and tourism supply: product and skills development. Further, Sedibeng District Municipality has embarked on a major drive to promote and develop the tourism industry in the region as a direct result of the decline in economic activity in the steel and related sectors of the region. Special emphasis is being placed on the development of township tourism.
Tourism potential The Sedibeng region – with its diverse tourism offerings, embedded in rich cultural and natural heritage products – has the potential to grow into a major tourism destination. The Sedibeng district has been classified as an area with above-average tourism potential, which is based on the following: • natural resources • cultural heritage resources • scenic attractions • close proximity to Johannesburg and major travelling routes • proximity to markets and airports
• strong infrastructure • inland water resources • tertiary education facilities • quality medical facilities. Sedibeng has numerous competitive advantages over nearby districts, which include accommodation ranging from four-star hotels, guest houses, bed and breakfast establishments, tented camps and backpackers, to houseboats and resorts. The establishments catering for every taste and activity, including corporate events, weddings, fine dining, township experiences and casino gaming.
Breakdown According to the municipality’s 2019/20 IDP, there are 47 graded establishments in the region and 202 non-graded establishments. Approximately 4 785 beds (1 473 graded and 3 312 non-graded), ranging from luxury to budget accommodation, are on offer to tourists. Of the 78 conference and function venues with capacities to cater for 20 to 4 000 pax, 68 are also wedding venues and 28 are party venues. There are
REBIRTH OF THE VAAL
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