According to the North-West University (NWU), the tourism industry has great potential to address the unemployment crisis faced in the country.

This, as unemployment rates in the country stands at 34.4 percent.

Addressing a virtual dialogue on Tuesday, Director of the Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society, Professor Elmarie Slabbert, said millions of people have been hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic - leading to the closure on many businesses.

She confirms due to lockdown regulations posed by different countries, the international market has shrunk.

Slabbert, accompanied by Senior Lecturer Prof Peet Van Merwe, and Executive Director at the school of Tourism Prof Lindie Du Plessis, highlighted how there remains a high need to make domestic tourists the backbone of the industry.

The three academics added that more also needs to be done to optimise technology to showcase what the different provinces can offer as well as minimise risks such as crime levels and lack of basic municipal services.

The virtual dialogue, held by the NWU, comes just a day after OFM News reported on how hundreds of tourists descended on the eastern Free State in celebration of World Tourism Day on Monday.

The event was held to revive the tourism industry and boost the economy.

“We must target our South African market at a lower price to promote the tourism industry” said Van der Merwe.

OFM News