The National Department of Tourism supports the national wine tourism strategy currently being developed by the wine tourism industry.

This was the message by Tourism Minister, Derek Hanekom, read on his behalf by Anemé Malan, Deputy Director-General International Tourism Management, to delegates at the inaugural “The Business of Wine & Food Tourism” conference last week.

Malan said the government was not involved in the private sector’s efforts in drafting a national wine tourism strategy, except for consultations here and there.  Once the industry had concluded its broad-based consultations and had reached consensus behind a coherent strategy, the next step would be public and private sector engagements on the plan, with the aim of incorporating it into a revised National Tourism Strategy. “The department looks forward to engaging the wine tourism industry on this important facet of tourism.”

She said the government recognised that wine and food tourism was an important niche and offers great potential for the growth of South Africa’s tourism offering. “It is heartening that the industry is organising itself as it will enable the industry to consolidate its strategic approach in enhancing the competitiveness of the sub-sector.”

She said the department was in the process of revising the National Tourism Strategy and would continue to engage with all key stakeholders, owners and operators of tourism attractions and communities in all sub-sectors and niches of the tourism industry in order to roll out detailed action plans that would become part of the revised national strategy.