Wikitourism, an online information portal for the tourism industry, has reached more than 43 000 visits, despite only having three dedicated contributors.
Wikitourism was established by Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP) because access to information is often one of the main inhibitors of growth for small tourism businesses. The portal also serves as a central information point for everyone in the tourism industry.

Adrienne Harris, who heads up the project, says Wikitourism is ready to become a fully fledged wiki – a system that allows for collaboration from multiple individuals to benefit the tourism industry as a whole. “We’re at the point where we want contributors,” she says, adding that the organisation is hoping to get associations and academic institutions involved.
Harris emphasises that the portal is free and people are not required to sign in to access the site. She explains that Wikitourism aims to open up access to information. “Academic journals cost a fortune,” she says, adding that large companies are able to hire consultancies to compile research, but smaller companies do not have the budget for this.
According to Harris, like Wikipedia, Wikitourism relies on the voluntary addition of information by contributors. Members of the industry can become contributors by registering on the site.
For more information, visit www.wikitourism.co.za.