JEDDAH, 20 February 2007 — A South African delegation currently visiting the Kingdom held a workshop on Saturday in Jeddah and one in Riyadh yesterday to promote Saudi tourism and investment in South Africa.
Tyrone Seale, general manager of the South African Communication Resources Center, said the Gulf countries and South Africa share a lot in common. He said these countries are dependent on their natural resources and deal similarly in order to develop. He added that all of the countries have much diversity to offer.
“It is very important to attract Gulf countries in general and Saudi Arabia specifically to South Africa for tourism and investment. South Africa is rich in culture and heritage, which are waiting for Saudi and Gulf people, whose level of income is high, to discover. We are here to raise the level of awareness about South Africa,” Seale said.
Last year South Africa issued around 3,843 South African visas for Saudi citizens and each year several thousand South African pilgrims visit the Kingdom for Haj and Umrah.
The South African delegation included members of the South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the International Marketing Council (IMC), South African Tourism (SAT) and the South Africa Consulate.
South Africa will also be hosting the 2010 World Cup. This will boost South African tourism and the country’s economic sectors. Seale said that things that were taking a long time to complete have now been speeded up in preparation for the World Cup. “Sport is one of the natural activities that breaks down cultural barriers and brings people together,” he added.
South Africa is now spending $60 billion on improving railways and communications, including $6 billion on enhancing infrastructure of 10 stadiums that will be used for the World Cup.
“The world cup is not a South African event but an African event,” said Bulelwa Seti, chief director of Tourism Support at the Environment and Tourism Ministry. She added that “we want those who will attend matches to enjoy being at world class stadiums and enjoy the African region’s beauty. So that people can enjoy both experiences.”
Safety is a major issue for South African officials, something which the country is working toward improving for the World Cup.
“It is expected that more than 400,000 fans and more than 10,000 media officials will attend the World Cup,” Seale said. South Africa is preparing for the event by increasing its budget and numbers of security officers from 152,000 with an additional 80,000 by 2010.
Sadiq Jaffer, chief director of Investment Promotion and Facilitation for Trade and Investment, said the majority of tourists who visit South Africa come from Europe, North and South America, other African nations and China, recently.
“These workshops help to strengthen the Saudi-South African ties in tourism, investment and trade sectors and we are looking forward for more cooperation with the Saudis,” he said.
