Chairperson, may I join my colleagues who spoke earlier in congratulating all the members of the National Council of Provinces who have made their way to this spot in this term of Parliament.
Tourism serves as the warp and the weft that is woven through the patchwork of our diverse communities. Indeed, it resonates with the very essence of ubuntu. Working together with our fellow South Africans, let us embrace the opportunities before us to show the world and one another what we are capable of. We as citizens of our remarkable country are ultimately the biggest proponents of our South African brand. It is our responsibility to inculcate a sense of pride that will strengthen cultural identity and raise awareness through constant advocacy campaigns. In the context of our government's focus on the fight against poverty we must not underestimate the pivotal role of the tourism sector in economic growth and job creation.
In 2008, tourism contributed an estimated R195 billion to the South African economy and helped create more than one million jobs, directly and indirectly. This constitutes a substantial contribution and positions tourism as a vital pillar of our economy. The steps outlined in our government's Medium-Term Strategic Framework have taken into account the constraints posed by the economic crisis and have set out a plan to offset them. We have made a commitment that, working together, we shall speed up economic growth and transform the economy to create sustainable livelihoods. This speaks clearly to the way tourism is also responsible for stimulating the economy, by contributing to job creation and poverty alleviation.
Our department encourages entrepreneurial spirit and a responsible tourism focus through, amongst others, what is called its Hidden Treasures programme, which supports unique arts and craft experiences, including artists, performers, tour guides, and cultural and heritage products.
Sustainable tourism therefore ensures the equitable distribution of benefits, so that the communities whose land, resources and labour, knowledge and cultures are used as the basis for tourism actually benefit from tourism. A focus on sustainability also helps us to ensure that the positive impacts of tourism are maximised at grass-roots level and enable communities to protect their cultural heritage from exploitation.
Not only has tourism facilitated the much-needed economic boost for rural communities, but it has also been a catalyst for training and development in hospitality-related fields and the improvement which, as the chairperson was indicating, still needs to be beefed up. Our local communities have experienced a revival and have developed a fresh commitment to the preservation of their natural and cultural heritage. Indeed, a new appreciation and a sense of ownership have been instilled and cultivated. In line with the country's comprehensive rural development strategy, the department will continue to prioritise the development of community and rural tourism, to ensure that tourism benefits are equitably distributed. This includes the development of infrastructure and the promotion of tourism opportunities through the implementation and success of our department's contribution to the Expanded Public Works Programme.
Rural tourism will only reap success if we continue to support tourism potential at the local sphere of government, and the role of local government in this process must be duly acknowledged. This is currently done through our annual local government indaba on tourism. The indaba provides a platform for engagement, leadership, and sharing of challenges and best practices in order to deliver the tourism mandate towards 2010 and beyond.
At this year's indaba we launched the tourism planning toolkit for local government, and engaged stakeholders on the proposed national tourism growth strategy. This strategy will help us formulate our response to the global economic recession, revitalise domestic tourism marketing and implement the sector skills plan. Consultation with provinces and municipalities is ongoing, and capacity-building for tourism planning at local level, targeting certain municipalities that have a high potential for tourism growth, will also be prioritised. We shall consult with all local municipalities and provinces continually to ensure that we have integrated and structured planning to align tourism priority projects. As a department we continue to help strengthen our country's skills and human resource base.
Various exciting projects and programmes are being implemented as South Africa gears up for the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. From what the hon member Van Lingen was saying, if we take the positive side of what was happening, we have learnt a lot from the past Confederations Cup, and we shall build on that to ensure that come 2010 we will make improvements on what we are short of.
We remain steadfast in our promotion of service excellence and dynamic partnerships in the tourism industry. The tourism service excellence strategy, launched at the annual national tourism conference in November 2008, is focusing on the upskilling of those involved in the service delivery industry. Some of the initiatives of this strategy include behaviour and attitude alignment at service touch points, as well as appropriate training programmes and other interventions to achieve sustained changes in behaviour and attitude.
At the conference delegates and representatives of various organisations also signed a tourism service excellence pledge, committing themselves to ensuring the provision of quality service at all times. The department furthermore continues to contribute towards alleviating poverty and unemployment through training, placement programmes, capacity-building initiatives, and familiarisation programmes focused on the youth. Gender- sensitive development strategies are also being put in place to ensure social redress in the industry.
I would like to thank the select committee and our friends in the tourism industry, as well as all the stakeholders for their unwavering support thus far. Our department will continue to work with you to forge ahead and to realise the full potential of this industry in building a better life for all. Thank you. [Applause.]