THE Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (Retosa) is running an inaugural Youth in Tourism Essay Competition (YTEC) for primary and secondary schools in Southern Africa.
SENIOR REPORTER
Retosa is the tourism implementing agency for Sadc and its primary objective is to facilitate and promote tourism growth and development in the region.
The essay competition is targeted at pupils between the ages of 12 and 17 years as they are a critical component in the sustainable development of tourism in Southern Africa.
This would also create a regional platform for purposes of mainstreaming pupils in tourism programmes.
Retosa member states include Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.
In a statement from its base in South Africa, Retosa said a total of 150 schools in Sadc countries were participating in the inaugural competition.
“The theme for the YTEC is ‘Turning Southern Africa into a Competitive and Green Tourism Destination’.”
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Deadline for submission of the essays is November 30 2013 and the two winners will be crowned junior Tourism ministers for one year.
The two junior ministers and their teachers will be sponsored to attend the Regional Youth in Tourism Arts Festival and Conference to be held in Lilongwe, Malawi, from December 12-13,” Retosa said.
Retosa acting executive director Simba Mandinyenya said: “We are strategically targeting children in primary and secondary schools with the hope that our efforts in trying to make tourism an integral part of their school curricular will be realised.
“Africa receives three percent of the tourism receipts in the world and it also gets five percent of arrivals. Of these, Southern Africa only receives 2% of both, yet the region has; if put together, arguably the best tourism resource base in the world. In this respect Retosa believes it is strategic for the youth to become a driving force in tourism development at national and regional level so that the region grows its share of the global tourism cake.”
