The Honorable, Ms. Tokozile Xasa, Minister of Tourism tees off alongside the Honorable, Mr. Thembelani Thulas Nxesi, Minister of Sport and Recreation at the PinkStig Friendship Classic to initiate August Women Month’s Celebrations.
UniMedia is honored to host Minister Xasa, as she tee’s off the ceremonial start to the Pinkstig Friendship Classic Event, at Blue Valley Golf & Country Estate.
The Pinkstig Friendship Classic, takes place on the 1st August, with our lifestyle partner, Sun International sponsoring the main prize. They have been our anchor lifestyle partner since the inception of the Pinkstig brand of women’s professional golf. A firm favorite in hospitality, many of our guests and players have enjoyed this luxury brand adding their magical touches to golf off and on the course.
This event aligns itself to a national media campaign with the emphasis on women in golf and sport and the role tourism continues to play in hosting and advocating women’s critical role in building tourism and sport in South Africa.
“Community engagement is crucial to the success of a tourism destination. If local communities understand the benefits of tourism, and believe they have a role to play in it, the destination will flourish.” Says Minister Tokozile Xasa
Ms Xasa is currently serving as the Minister of tourism since March 2017 and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Fort Hare; a BA degree from the University of Transkei and a BA Honours degree from the University of Fort Hare. She served as Provincial Treasurer of the African National Congress (ANC) in Eastern Cape, and became Member of Provincial Legislature in Eastern Cape from 2001 until 2009.
In 2017, she successfully became the first woman minister of Tourism and with little delay came out with a Five in Five Strategy, positioning SA as one of the most desired destinations to visit in the world.
The Five in Five Strategy identifies as; optimizing market investments, reassessing and realigning of its brand, developing effective stakeholder partnerships, utilizing resources effectively and being an inspired organization, collaboration and forging new partnerships within the industry.
She is part of a crop of young women MPs committed to reconstruct a new colorful and exciting South Africa Tourism brand, providing the impetus for economic growth through social development and sport. Naturally she brings a new and fresh energy with a focused agenda and a strong follow through action to ensure sustainable growth in radical socio-economic transformation.
In 2010 Ms Tokozile Xasa became Deputy Minister of Tourism working alongside then Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk who was Minister of Tourism.
The Minister maintains: “The future of tourism in South Africa depends on our collective ability to ensure that its growth is managed in such a way that it addresses national objectives. Job creation, rural tourism development and community beneficiation are an absolute necessity if South Africa is to sustain current growth levels and remain an international competitor.”
“Tourism should be seen as establishing contact between tourist and host, between different cultures, people and places. By breaking down the divisions between people, local communities need to be meaningfully involved to realize its benefits. Tourism growth cannot be sustained alongside abject poverty and other social challenges”
“Working together we can do more”. Her coming out to this PinkStig event to kick off this robust campaign of promoting women’s golf is evident to the fact that we enjoy 440 golf courses countrywide which needs to be utilized effectively as outlined in her agenda. The partnering and collaboration with government sector and private companies such as UniMedia is imperative in scaling new sporting initiatives whilst linking to new communities, creating a stronger economy in local golf tourism.
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