News
South Africa reaping rewards
South Africa's economic and social turnaround has astounded many in the international community, writes Patricia Curmi.
And now it seems people are going to experience the Rainbow Nation for themselves – and increasing numbers are choosing to stay.
In the first seven months of 2006, 4,673,856 tourists visited South Africa, just under 16 per cent more than the same period in 2005 and the highest ever for the first seven months of the year, according to official sources. Government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the numbers exceeded "even our positive expectations".
Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has said South Africa was already reaping the rewards from the country's elevated international profile, despite the fact that the 2010 Soccer World Cup is still four years away.
The government has identified tourism, in the context of the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (Asgi-SA), as one of the priority sectors to up the country's economy through job creation. Asgi-SA aims to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014 and achieve an average growth of at least 6 per cent of GDP by 2010.
And according to the SA Employment Report released earlier this month employment has been growing steadily, though not with the same magnitude as the 30,000 jobs created per month last year. The number of self-employed South Africans has also seen a sharp rise over the past year, a sign of the country's increasing self-confidence and entrepreneurial spirit.
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01 February 2007