THE Drakenstein Municipality last week received official tourism accreditation from the provincial government.
This is the first step in the new town council’s vision to make Drakenstein a competitive tourism destination, says the executive councillor for tourism, Dr Lourens du Toit.
The Council has decided to launch a new Local Tourism Organisation (LTO), which will unite the private tourism sectors of Paarl and Wellington into one body.
Prior to 2005, the Municipality had funded the Paarl and Wellington tourism offices, which were run by the private sector.
But during 2005 the Municipality decided to end funding of the private sector, and internalised the tourism function, effectively taking over the offices.
This led to a lot of duplication of activities, while communication between the Municipality and tourism stakeholders deteriorated due to a general level of distrust in the tourism sector.
The new municipal council under the leadership of the DA is of the opinion that the tourism sector should be government supported, but private sector driven, to grow tourism in Drakenstein.
“Tourism facilities are primarily owned and managed by the private sector. It is therefore crucial to maintain a strong relationship with the private sector, and tourism associations in particular, to achieve the objectives of tourism growth,” says du Toit.
The Municipality must now conclude a service level agreement with the Local Tourism Association setting the terms upon which the Municipality’s function and the promotion and development of tourism will be carried out by the organisation on behalf of the Municipality.
Following a tourism summit last month with local stakeholders, it was recommended that a single tourism marketing and development organisation, supported by the Municipality, be established to manage tourism in Drakenstein.
This body will operate independently from Council, with its own board and a CEO/manager who will be responsible for the day-to-day management. This system has proven to be effective in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.
Current staff will remain on the municipal payroll, but will be seconded to the LTO.
Municipal funding will contribute to tourism development projects (including BBEEE initiatives), advertising, tourism brochures and maps and other marketing material, while members from the private sector will contribute through membership fees.
According to du Toit, the Council plans to expand the future budget for tourism significantly, in line with its vision to maximise tourism in Drakenstein.
