Tourism info centre for Soweto
Bafana Nzimande
29 April 2005
South Africa's most famous township is set to unveil a one-stop information centre to service the needs of tourists, co-ordinate tourism projects, provide hospitality training to tourism operators, and strengthen the local tourism industry.
Following four years of planning and construction, the two-story building at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown has been completed and is ready to open its doors for business.
The building forms part of the Kliptown Development Project which is transforming central Kliptown into a massive shopping complex that includes tourist and heritage sites.
Soweto, home to more than 890 000 people, is known around the world for its role in South Africa's struggle for liberation, its diverse cultures and its famous residents.
The township boasts a number of accommodation establishments, conference venues, and historical sites such as the Hector Petersen memorial museum, the Oppenheimer
towers, and Vilakazi Street - where two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, once lived.
Soweto's tourism industry already contributes in the region of R143-million to Gauteng province's gross domestic product.
The information centre aims to develop this industry further by grouping local tourism-related businesses under one umbrella to ensure they receive the same publicity and use a single brand to promote the township.
The centre will feature a conference room fitted with the latest technology, a curio shop, an Internet café and a cafeteria.
A call centre will also serve to link tourists with local businesses operating in the hospitality industry. Other features include a visitors' walkway showing historical glimpses of Kliptown, including the signing of the Freedom Charter in 1955.
"The information centre will service tourism interests in the whole of southern Johannesburg", said Johannesburg Tourism Company acting chief
executive Eddy Khosa.
"The centre will also invite reputable organisations to help facilitate skills training sessions for local young people wanting to get involved in the tourism industry or youngsters wanting to establish their own small businesses."
One of the main challenges facing Soweto tourism is the lack of tourism infrastructure and signage. The new centre will help to address some of these problems, according to Soweto Tourism Association chair Dumisani Ntshangase.
"It is appropriate for the centre to be established in Kliptown, because the area played an important role in our country's freedom and democracy, which is what Soweto symbolises to many people", Ntshangase said.
"We are very excited about this project because we believe it will contribute to the growth of tourism in Soweto by providing tourists with relevant information about places they can visit and all the exciting things they can do during their visit."
For more information on
the Soweto Tourism Information Centre, call (011) 463 6372.
Source: City of Johannesburg
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