STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI
AT THELUNCH FOR THE EAST-3-ROUTE, SWAZILAND LEG
AT NKONYENI GOLF CLUB, NKONYENI
WEDNESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2014
Your Royal Highnesses
Honourable Ministers
Member of the Economic Council for Economic Development, and Tourism (KwaZulu-Natal)
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Mozambique
Representative of the Seychelles Government
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is very much an honour for me to once again attend a function as part of the East-3-Route, Swaziland Leg, and be with you as implementation of this exciting new tourism initiative starts to gather some momentum.
May I first, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, extend a very warm welcome to you all. And I say an especially cordial welcome to our distinguished guests from outside the Kingdom of Swaziland, in particular the official representatives from Kwazulu-Natal, Mozambique and Seychelles, who are in the forefront of this historic initiative. It is indeed a dramatic moment as we reflect on the birth of this vision which was initiated by the Heads of Government from the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Mozambique and the Kingdom of Swaziland, back in 1998 under the Lubombo Special Initiative (LSDI).
Today we are seeing the vision becoming a reality.
The two days that our distinguished visitors have just spent in Swaziland will, I am sure, have been highly informative. We especially hope that you have enjoyed that time in our country, taking back with you some memorable experiences and, furthermore, getting an impression of what the our visiting tourists would also enjoy.
You will, I am sure, forgive the last minute change of venue. There is another very important function this evening and I particularly wanted to meet you all and share some thoughts at the same time. I must also apologise for mistakenly packing my wife’s golf clubs so I will be unable to demonstrate the 300 plus metres that I now reach with my new driver. There, of course, I jest but I think you will agree that what we are seeing here is one of the most magnificent golf courses you will find anywhere. It is by no means a typical tourism facility in our country but nevertheless an example of the diversity of attractions.
Our Head of State, His Majesty, King Mswati III, in his Vision 2022 has challenged and motivated the Nation to strive for first world status by 2022. Our recently launched Programme of Action 2013-18 and Swaziland Development Index have identified the path and will track the deliverables as we aim to make substantial progress by the end of this Administration in 2018.
Tourism is clearly a key sector which has a significant role to play in creating the faster economic growth that we must achieve in order to finance the deliverables that will take us to first world status. Our aim is to be among the top 20 tourists destinations in Africa by 2022. The brand that we publicised at the time of the re-launch of our Investor Roadmap two years ago is Swaziland: Africa’s New Promise. An integral part of the “Promise” is to make our business environment of a quality that is second to none. And that aim is as applicable to attracting investment in our tourism sector as it is to any other sector.
For the kind of tourist that a country wants, the ability to enjoy travel facilities of a high standard are an essential ingredient of a memorable holiday. The East-3-Route initiative comes at a significant time for Swaziland as we reflect with pride on our new King Mswati III International Airport which is now officially open for commercial flights. We see this new airport as pivotal in attracting more tourists to our country.
And we say this at a time when statistics suggest that we have turned the corner after the recessionary period of recent years in our tourism industry. The year 2013 was a good one for our tourism sector, with international visitor arrivals growing by almost 2% despite the continuing economic challenges in the main countries from which the majority of our visitors come. What is particularly significant is that around 30% of these arrivals are first time visitors to the Kingdom of Swaziland. Our marketing campaigns do appear to be bearing fruit. These figures also showed a strong performance from Europe at 18% growth and Australia at 11% percent growth.
Indeed, Africa as a whole is revealing its potential to the world. Similar results are being seen in other African countries, with 2014 expected to yield improved performances. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) forecasts, growth in the current year in our region is expected to be between 4% and 6%.
The world is steadily going green and the buzz words are “responsible and sustainable tourism.” This, I believe, is one of our strong points, and the development of planned tourism routes, such as this, can only heighten interest in the region. It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Swaziland, through one of our community-based tourism projects, Shewula Mountain Camp, which is also part of the Transfrontier Conservation Areas, was recently chosen as one of ten winners of the Equator Prize for sustainable land management in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are, indeed, doing our bit!
Another buzz term in tourism is “co-operation or cooperative competition.” The East3Route does, in fact, capture this concept as we work together, cooperatively, to market our region at the same time as maintaining a healthy level of competition amongst ourselves, as acknowledged by the UNWTO. So exclusive can also accommodate inclusive.
Tourism is a socio-economic sector that helps promote economic growth, employment, poverty reduction and the reduction of global warming, as well as playing a pivotal role in regional integration. It is our dream, and a reasonable expectation, that tourism and the East-3-Route joint marketing initiatives will not only help us to meet those needs, but will also boost investment within the four countries and the region as a whole. With the increasing ease of travel across borders, and the sheer variety of tourism attractions that our four countries can offer, it is fair to expect the East-3-Route to be a catalyst of significant proportions in developing further our respective economies.
Guided by a strategy that provides direction on how to take our tourism sector into the future, Swaziland has begun forging alliances in the republics of South Africa and Mozambique that will assist in promoting both our own country as a destination and of course the East-3-Route itself. Although our country, with its friendly people, dramatic and unspoilt scenery, unique safaris and thrilling traditional events, is not difficult to sell, we still need to collaborate in the manner of the East-3-Route and generate innovative ideas that will help us acquire a greater share of the international tourism market. And an integral part of the exercise is getting a very clear understanding of what the discerning tourist requires and whether the departing tourists believe that we have met those needs.
For the East-3-Route to succeed, the attractions must be appealing and of high-quality in their respective categories, and marketing must keep pace with our dynamic and fast-changing technological world where the internet and e-marketing have become promotion leaders.
In this respect I am pleased to say that the Swaziland Government has set up a number of systems to support this strategy. A key issue, in this regard, that our governments need to resolve, is the need to move towards the electronic facilitation of visas. In a world where every country is trying to get a bigger share of the tourism market, ease of travel will be a key determining factor as tourists make their tourism decisions. Expediting introduction of the Univisa and thus digitalising the visa application process, together with other sophisticated new marketing techniques will go a long way towards attracting visitors to the region.
The requisite investment in tourism marketing, product development, research, diversification opportunities, and industry regulatory measures are also an essential aspect of generating an increased share of the international tourism market. I do urge my counterparts to put their heads together, as we do the same, towards finding lasting solutions to such matters.
On behalf of His Majesty’s Government may I say what a pleasure it has been to receive you in our country, one that is small but not lacking in quality though with still a great deal of untapped potential. We trust your stay in our country has confirmed the standards of service delivery, friendliness from our people, cleanliness and assured safety. I do hope you have a most enjoyable evening at the Gala Dinner in one of our very popular tourist attractions.
Thank you.