SOUTHERN CROSS SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
VISION
The Vision of the Southern Cross Socio-Economic Development (PTY) Ltd is to initiate, support and advance the political and economic Renaissance of Africa as a tool for economic growth, wealth, health, wellbeing and socio-economic development of the Peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora
RESUMÉ
The DMC and responsible tourism development consultancy, Southern Cross Experiences (PTY) Ltd., with its focus on international visitors, realizes the potential for African communities with under-marketed and highly-significant tourist attractions to benefit from overseas tourists through infrastructure and socio-economic tourism development. Southern Cross designed a concept called “The Southern Cross Heritage Tourism Development Program” which is designed to support these communities in participating and benefitting in the international tourism industry.
Doris Woerfel, CEO of Southern Cross Experiences, said: “We realized that all funding into African tourism initiatives will have no effect on the socio-economic development of African people if there is no infrastructure development, capacity building, skills development, education and information on the history and heritage of a site or destination, and last not least a support to connect these people to international investors, tourism development funds, and marketing structures such as trade fairs and e-marketing.
Southern Cross has been set up to promote world-class heritage and conservation related community-based tourism projects in Africa, making use of the considerable cultural resources and assets that local communities in African countries possess. The concept seeks to develop a network of Ancient African Kingdoms and Heritage Routes with tourism projects along the way that are owned by local residents, foster civic pride and contribute to poverty alleviation. Southern Cross aims to set up conservancies that curate and conserve eco-cultural landscapes and tangible and non-tangible heritage. Ethno-archaeological research, capacity and leadership building, heritage e-learning programmes for local people and information provided in innovative museums and interpretation centres are important components of the programme. SCSED is also cooperating organisation of RETOSA (the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa for the SADC countries), the NEPAD Council (a pan-African socio-economic development organisation) and the UN-ILO (United Nations International Labour Organisation).
Southern Cross is engaged in Programmes that seeks to train and educate community-based tourism associations/ SMME’s on cultural and heritage routes. The Greater Mapungubwe- and Kruger TFCA’s are the key anchor projects for the SCSED socio-economic community-based tourism development in SADC countries and the rest of Africa.
The initial objective of the implementation of the above-mentioned initiatives is to capacitate rural communities in Africa through skills training for CTA’s, CPA’s, women and youth in the respective disciplines of eco-cultural arts and tourism.
In the attempt to ensure that these initiatives are properly implemented, the Southern Cross partnered with the United Nations International Labour Organisation (UN-ILO) in the utilisation of the SCORE training methodology and intends to engage in other related modules such as the “ILO Toolkit for Poverty Reduction through Tourism” that are aimed and targeted at building capacity of small-stourism-basedbased enterprises with skills and tools for running viable tourism business operations. This also means that the training programmes that will be offered will bear accreditation (credits and certificates).