By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider

The 3rd Tourism Investment Forum Africa (TIFA) event is held at the Thembela Venue conference hall, in the city of uMhlathuze KwaZulu-Natal over a three day period. The event aims to attract and explore various tourism investment opportunities within the city.

On the first day, various delegates and speakers received the opportunity to engage in a site tour where there are potential investment opportunities in and around Richards Bay.

 Potential sites that could be utilised to boost the economy as well as inspire investment attraction across the board. One of the key projects include renovating the local university in order to shape the young minds of tomorrow.

 Another instrumental tourism opportunity is Richards Bay’s airport project which is key to connecting investors and tourists with having better access to visiting Richards Bay.

 On the second day various panel discussions were held in order to investigate different strategies which can be used to enhance the tourism opportunities in the city of uMhlathuze and essentially South Africa as a whole.

 In attendance was the Premier of Kwazulu-Natal Thamsanqa Ntuli as well as the Mayor of the city of uMhlathuze Councilor Xolani Ngwezi, who expressed genuine enthusiasm towards the various investment opportunities that are on offer within the city.

“We want to also play a part in the city. We have a strategy which is called Safer City Crime Prevention Strategy, which is looking at an investment of about R50 Million to install CCTV cameras in the areas that we know are hotspot areas in terms of crime. The result of population growth has demanded that the city seeks more new investments, so that it can meet the ever growing economic interest.” said Councilor Ngwezi in his address.

 “It is with this spirit of purposeful progress that I address you here in the dynamic city of uMhlathuze. A place where this vision is already taking powerful shape and where the piles of industry beats in harmony with the soul of our rich culture and breathtaking natural beauty,” said Premier Ntuli in his keynote address at the event.

The instrumental aspect that this year’s TIFA aims to enhance, is clear evidence of critical growth and implementation of these projects within the various municipalities where TIFA hosts the summit.

 It is also a change of pace that this year’s TIFA is hosted within a city that is not heavily regarded as a tourist destination mainly because of the lack of knowledge, and bolstering its tourism opportunities has the potential to strengthen the province’s economy as it is already the KZN’s second biggest economic contributor.

The panel discussions commenced shortly after the keynote addresses which were guided by specific themes that contribute to the conversations surrounding tourism investment.

Executive Chairman of OCO Global, Mark O’Connell, who hails from Ireland shared his insights on leveraging on the private sector as a reliable source to bolster investment into various areas in Africa.

He also expressed that focusing on localising businesses as much as possible is a tool to not only enhance the tourism experience but also provide jobs for locals that may reside within the area.

 One of the guided themes was Africa’s tourism and investment outlook, outlining the importance of understanding that without a demand then there will most likely be a lack of return on investment.

Tourism expert for UNECA Dr Geoffrey Manyara, outlined that Africa is the second biggest continent, however not enough infrastructure to make travelling in Africa convenient for visitors, as well as outlining that African countries should look to trade amongst themselves before looking to trade with countries outside of the continent.

 Public infrastructure is critical in stabilizing and promoting intra-African investment. A critical point made was that Africa needs to work at creating institutions that will be responsible for coordinating tourism in Africa.

The programme moved towards the conversations of TIFA’s impact and future growth. One of the key issues raised was that even though TIFA has created a platform for investors to be made aware of potential markets, there is a concern over the lack of implementation with certain projects.

Director of Trianium Hospitality in Kenya, Samantha Muna highlighted that there is a need to find a way to enhance connectivity between African travel in order to increase the market and has further expressed that open land does not mean that there is a secure investment opportunity. 

She urged land owners to engage in feasibility studies in order to do the appropriate due diligence, where they can present investors with a secure and planned out strategy of turning open land into a major opportunity.

 There is a need for providing the correct knowledge on investing in regards to the tourism sector and giving knowledge on the investment market.

The key aspect in attracting investors specifically within the private sector , is to trigger incentives that will make investors feel secure in their investments.