SA tour guides learn Mandarin
4 August 2006
Thirteen South African tour guides will spend at least two months in China receiving experiential training after completing courses in the Chinese language, Mandarin.
The tour guides left for Beijing on Tuesday to receive the training, as part of a partnership between the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the Chinese government.
The department's acting director for human resources, Lulamile Stuurman, said the project reflected positive developments for the tourism sector in view of the 2010 Football World Cup, with a variety of skills needed for the successful hosting of the event.
Tour guides in Mpumalanga have already started French lessons ahead of the expected increase in tourists for the World Cup.
Stuurman added that South African Tourism had identified China as an investment market for the country.
Zhou Yuxiao, of the Chinese embassy in South Africa, said China was prioritising support for South Africa's development strategies, such as the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for SA (Asgi-SA).
Source: BuaNews
