HERITAGE AS A RESOURCE
FOR TOURISM
By Adv. Sonwabile Mancotywa
CEO of the National Heritage Council
Presented at Cities Indaba 2012 Seminar
13 May 2012
CONTENT
1. Heritage and Cultural Tourism in Context
2. Milestones and Recent Developments in the
Heritage and Tourism Sectors
3. International perspectives
4. Key Challenges
5. Recommendations
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HERITAGE AND TOURISM
IN CONTEXT
4
HERITAGE AND TOURISM IN CONTEXT
 Tourism like Heritage is a matter of shared competence amongst the three
spheres of government in South Africa;
 Heritage and Tourism are intertwined and mutually depended on each
other for success;
 Heritage largely drives tourism in South Africa in South Africa although the
economic scales tilted in favour of the latter;
 Unlike Tourism there is a general lack of appreciation of the importance of
Heritage as a significant contributor to socio-economic development even
at budgeting level across the three spheres of government.
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HERITAGE AND TOURISM IN CONTEXT
 The year 2012 has officially been declared as the Year of Heritage with
many activities already taking place with international visitors showing
keen interest in participating in.
 South Africa marked the turning of 100 years by the ruling party as the
oldest liberation movement in the continent which arouses interest form
citizens of the world to visit South Africa.
 Liberation Heritage has been placed at the highest echelon of
government’s priority programmes as announced by the State President,
Mr Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address (SON) in February last
year.
 In his State of the Nation Address in February 2012, President Jacob Zuma
announced massive infrastructure development projects that government
would be implementing of which Legacy Projects linked to the Liberation
Heritage Route project forms a larger part.
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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE
HERITAGE AND TOURISM SECTORS
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RECENT DELOPMENTS IN THE HERITAGE &
TOURISM SECTORS
 Both the Ministers of Tourism, and Arts and Culture have given their
budget Votes (speeches) in Parliament on 03 May 2012 adding impetus to
the interconnectedness of Heritage and Tourism;
 The launch of the National Heritage and Cultural Tourism Strategy by the
National Department of Tourism during march 2012;
 The Launch of the Rural Tourism Strategy by the National Department of
Tourism in April 2012;
 In the recent past, the debate of the conflict between heritage
development and conservation around mining for example has gained
momentum.
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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HERITAGE &
TOURISM SECTORS (Cont….)
 Government is spearheading and driving the implementation of the National
Growth Path by the Department and its entities and by implication Heritage
and Tourism Growth are part thereof;
 The hosting of the Mzansi Golden Economy Summit which positions Arts,
Culture and Heritage as significant contributors to socio-economic growth by
the Minister of Arts and Culture in June 2012 also lays the foundation for
Tourism Development;
 The approval of the Mzanzi Golden Economy Strategy by National Treasury
which would unlock funding for Arts, culture and heritage and by implications
add impetus to the development of heritage tourism is another milestone;
 The Establishment of the National Conventions Bureau as a business unit
within Tourism South Africa led to South Africa securing the hosting of more
than 200 international conferences in the next five years which is a positive
sign that the two industries are growing significantly.
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RECENT DELOPMENTS IN THE HERITAGE &
TOURISM SECTORS
 Tourism despite the setback of the world credit crunch of 2010 remains
the fastest growing sectors in South Africa with increased numbers of
inbound and outbound tourists visiting South Africa
 The Minister of Tourims has just announced in his budget speech on 03
May 2012 that South Africa’s Status as a premier global leisure destination
is now firmly established.
 South Africa has outpaced its competitors globally in the leisure sphere for
its richness in both cultural and natural diversity;

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
AND TRENDS
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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AT THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT
 The year 2012 marks the Celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage
Convention in Japan
 The attainment by 8 (Eight) South African Sites of World Heritage Status that made
it to the prestigious World Heritage Property List can only be herald as significant
milestone booster of Heritage Tourism;
 South Africa will this year be hosting the African Chapter of the UNESCO
Conference on World Heritage which will give her an opportunity to develop a
shared African perspective on the link between development and the preservation
of current and envisaged world heritage sites.
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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AT THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT
 Confirmation of the declaration of Table Mountain as one of the Seven (7)
Wonders of the World by the “New 7 Wonders Foundation” on 03 May 2012;
 Table Mountain becomes the only African representative in the continent to attain
the & Wonders of the World status which augurs well for Tourism development in
South Africa
 The legacy projects that came through the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA
Soccer World Cup in South Africa for the first time in the African Continent add
impetus towards growing the tourism industry;
 The Hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa during January 2013 soon
after the 2010 Soccer World Cup can only be herald as a vote of confidence for
South Africa as an international tourism destination of choice.
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KEY CHALLENGES
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KEY CHALLENGES
 Global warming directly affects cultural and natural
heritage in a manner that affects tourism attractions;
 Mining and development have increasingly set
communities and conservationists on a war path. The case
of Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape is one example that is
well documented.
 Crime knows no boundaries and does affect tourism
directly;
 Acts of terrorism also directly impacts on tourism growth as
tourists fear travelling to areas prone to such attacks. Kenya
is one but example;
 Lack of beneficiation strategy for communities.
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KEY CHALLENGES (Cont...)
 Insufficient funding to promote heritage and tourism
sectors;
 Lack of grassroots development of Heritage Tourism at
community level;
 Poaching of game especially for rhino horns has gained
notoriety at levels beyond comprehension and threatens
the survival of the animals themselves;
 Lack of appetite to fully leverage on the existing cultural
agreements that South Africa has signed with most of the
countries at the dawn of democracy;
 Lack of policy to counter theft of heritage resources that
are stolen across the borders
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RECOMMENDATIONS
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RECOMMENDATIONS
 Need for the development of a Fund resourced out of benefits accruing from
cultural heritage tourism to benefit Heritage.
 Need for a beneficiation strategy for the communities;
 A policy on mainstreaming heritage in development that NHC has been
developing be prioritised;
 A strategy to counter poaching of rhinos for their horns be development
through collaboration with all stakeholders
 A policy on repatriation of heritage resources especially taken through illegal
means be developed (NHC is developing one)
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Thank You