The South Africa National Conventions Bureau (SANCB) is excited to announce the village of Phokeng, near Rustenburg as the proud host of this year’s EAPASA strategic conference taking place from 28 to 29 October at Thaba Legae Guest Lodge. Phokeng is the capital of the Royal Bafokeng Nation. The nation gained greater international attention in 2010, owing to its Royal Bafokeng Stadium, where six of the 2010 FIFA World Cup games were played, and the Bafokeng Sports Campus, where they hosted the England football team during the World Cup in the same year.
This is the second conference hosted under the recently launched National Association Project and it follows on from the 10th Annual Girls and Bafana Friendly Society (GBFS) conference which took place in Xhariep District Municipality in the Free State Province from 30 September to 2 October 2021.
The National Association Project aims to Spread the Economic Benefits of hosting, conferences and meetings in smaller towns and villages. Through this project, the SANCB identified 27 villages, townships and small dorpies (VTSDs), three places in each of the nine provinces, to host National Association meetings and conferences.
Ms Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, Chief Convention Bureau Officer of the SANCB said “Events and conferences help to capture attention and promote attractions. They make it possible to maximize the use of certain spaces and rationalise the need to visit certain places. Preservation of these spaces may result in financial benefits and dissemination of artistic and cultural heritages. Through events and conferences, places get to attract not only tourists but also investments. The tourism industry that supports events generates employment and economic diversification”.
The SANCB is a business unit of SA Tourism and is mandated to market South Africa as a preferred destination to host meetings, conventions, conferences and trade exhibitions- big or small.
It is for this reason that South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB) together with the North West Tourism Authority (NWTA) are proud to partner with EAPASA to host their first Strategic Session (Strategic Planning meeting) where robust discussions around efforts to address various environmental issues within the Environmental sector in South Africa and beyond will take centre stage.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of North West Tourism Authority, Adv Mothusi Tsineng said “The North West Province is delighted to host EAPASA’s conference. This will further add the necessary impetus in our efforts of recalibrating the entire Tourism Ecosystem while putting the spotlight back on the MICE Sector that has suffered immensely under the yoke of Covid-19 pandemic.”
“It is our considered view that the National Association Project would allow provinces like the North West, to confidently showcase the Village, Township and Small Dorpies (VTSD) proposition that lies within our tourism proposition. We are looking forward to sharing with the delegates of EAPASA the warmth that is the North West province, while we get the tourism economy working again.”
During the two-day meeting, EAPASA will also host the Board Strategic Planning Session, the Assessor Workshop and the EAP Registration Process Workshop on 28th October to assist government Officials and Consultant Environmental Assessment Practitioners from North West doing Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and 24G applications.
This is the perfect time since it shows South Africa’s commitment to Environmental protection and management. The meeting coincides with the 26th Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) where about 20,000 delegates including heads of state, diplomats and activists are expected to meet in person starting Oct. 31 to set new targets for cutting emissions from burning coal, oil and gas that are heating the planet. The United Kingdom is hosting this years ‘conference at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow.
There has never been so much preoccupation with nature as we see today. Even the travel industry is changing. People are gradually looking for eco-friendly things to do. So, sustainable tourism is on the rise.
Typically, when people think of sustainable tourism, they consider how it impacts the environment. But it also takes into account the current and the future economic, social and environmental impact of its activities.
In order to have sustainability fully incorporated into the tourism sector, there are a couple of factors to consider from laws and regulations to the local people and demand from tourists. That is why, it is important to not only look at sustainable tourism from the perspective of the tourism provider but also from that of an individual tourist.
“Supporting the environment is key to sustainability in any country. In order to do this; issues such as waste, contamination and the use of non-organic products as well as over-tourism must be considered when providing an experience to tourists. This is the kind of knowledge that delegates will walk away with from this two-day conference.” Kotze-Nhlapo concludes.
