Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members of the House, the strategic approach of the Northern Cape Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism is guided by the national priorities of job creation and economic growth, poverty alleviation, transformation of the tourism industry and the creation of a better living environment.
The Northern Cape is the largest province in South Africa and has a special charm of its own. Travelling over long distances through a rugged and sparsely populated countryside painted with rock art by the San has served to bring many back to earth and remind them of their place in the universe. It has been discovered that tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries, and continues to expand at a rate faster than the global economy. In the area of job losses, it does become our responsibility to ensure that tourism promotion and development is given our fullest commitment.
Satour has calculated that 5% of foreign tourists visited the Northern Cape, spending almost R3,9 million. Whilst this is a welcome contribution to the provincial economy, it is our intention to increase both the percentage of foreign tourists visiting the Northern Cape, and the amount of money that they spend in the province.
The Northern Cape has a negligible share of the domestic travel market. The domestic tourism market makes up a significantly large proportion of the total tourism market. I believe it is time the rest of South Africa discovered the rich heritage of the Northern Cape. Let us not forget that it was the diamonds of the now famous Kimberley big hole that funded the exploitation of the Witwatersrand gold fields and the subsequent industrialisation of South Africa. Whilst the rest of South Africa's town and cities were shrouded in darkness, the streets of Kimberley were lit by electric lamps, the first in South Africa. The first electric tram was found in Kimberley. Today there is still a working tram operating between the city centre and the Kimberley museum.
Africa's first transfrontier park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, is partly situated in the Northern Cape. This 3 million-hectare park straddles South Africa and Botswana, making it even bigger than the Kruger National Park, and giving our people opportunities for job creation and economic development. The greater challenge, however, is to ensure that our historically disadvantaged communities, both in Botswana and South Africa, benefit from this process that has been launched recently.
The tourism vision of the Northern Cape is to promote and develop our tourism in an economically effective, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable manner, whilst developing the province as a leading niche market destination.
The Northern Cape is in full support of the national Government's policy that states that tourism will be private-sector driven, but Government led; and that tourism will be used as a development tool for the empowerment of previously neglected communities by focusing investment, infrastructure, development and improvement in visitor management programmes in underdeveloped areas with proven tourism potential. In order to diversify the product base, we need to remove bottlenecks and distribute resources. This policy will ensure that, in the words of Minister Moosa, ``No stone is left unturned in the quest to unlock the full potential of tourism.''
The Northern Cape applauds the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism for the number of initiatives it has launched and for working together with all stakeholders to grow the benefits that the country derives from domestic, regional and international tourism. The Northern Cape is completely grateful for the poverty relief programme of the department and is confident that its application for tourism infrastructural projects will be approved. The hon the Minister will notice that I am a little bit opportunistic about that. [Laughter.] These projects are essential if local, provincial and national Government are to achieve the full potential of tourism. It is only with collective resources and effort that we will achieve our goal of a better life for all.
We support the Minister's campaign to rid our society of harmful waste and to protect our environment. Douglas, a small town in the Northern Cape, has taken this campaign very seriously by outlawing plastic bags and producing cotton bags. Therefore, I think we need to encourage such initiatives in our communities to ensure that we protect our environment and create wealth for our people. The Northern Cape, therefore, is in full support of the Budget Vote for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. [Applause.]