BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – The Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs has appointed a new board to uphold the thriving ministry’s mandate. Here is the Minister Moses Vilakati’s statement from the appointment:
“Good morning and welcome to the official appointment of the Eswatini Tourism Authority Board.
Ladies and gentlemen, you have been invited here today because you Have been deemed to be to have the ability to rise to the occasion on any assignment you are given. I have faith in you that you shall be able to tackle this duty you are being called upon to undertake, with integrity and excellence.
You are being appointed to be members of the Eswatini Tourism Authority, a board whose main responsibility is to ensure that the country remains the destination of choice.
We can all attest to the insurmountable challenges that the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed across different sectors the world over. With tourism being one of the hardest hit sectors in the world, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) reports that global tourism has suffered a loss of 2 trillion USD since the outbreak of COVID-19. At present, tourism contributes 1.4% towards the Eswatini’s Gross National Product (GDP), raking in E781 million.
With that said, this board comes at a crucial and exciting time when the world is cautiously opening up again and exploring robust and strategic efforts to revive this vibrant sector. We are fortunate to live in a country that recognizes the massive socio-economic contributions that tourism makes in our various communities and its ability to empower the diverse industries that make up the tourism value chain ranging from transport and agriculture, to entertainment and retail.
Furthermore, another exciting, recent development in the Eswatini tourism industry is the presence of the Africa Tourism Board which has since set up its headquarters in the Kingdom. With Eswatini being the official host of African Tourism Board, Eswatini has the unique privilege to increase visibility on its tourism products and experiences to the continent and the world.
With this, we look forward to harnessing your creative contributions and expertise in meeting our strategic objectives which include increasing our annual tourism receipts to E2 billion and increasing domestic tourism receipts by 15% by 2025. As a Board, you are therefore expected to diligently improve on product diversity and revival of the domestic economy, and improving our links with the international community as well.
Having said the above, let me draw your attention new board members, to the issue that you will be faced with and are expected to resolve. One of them being the qualified financial statements and the observation made by the auditors that ETA needs to strengthen its financial management and administration. With your cocktail of expertise, skills and international exposure, I trust that you will be able to provide the necessary oversight that will steer the organization to the right path by ensuring that the right skills are acquired to do such.
As a board, the ministry also expects you to implement the recommendations of the parliament tribunal report, copies of which will be made available through the Chairperson.
To achieve the above, the board is advised to familiarize itself with all the necessary documents and the Act setting up the parastatal. Over and above, you find a team of executive management that has a know-how of the organization which will help in filling in whatever gaps you will identify.
Where appropriate, the board is encouraged to constantly consult with the minister.
Finally the board is reminded to ensure that all statutory obligations are fulfilled and timeously. This could be tax remittances, parliament reports, budget issues, etc.
It is therefore my singular honor to announce the following as new members of the board, which comes into effect on 25th March 2020, for a period not exceeding three years:
To this, allow me to congratulate you on your appointment and wish you the very best in this journey. Let me also applaud the outgoing Board for its dedication and proficiency while executing its duties. I wish them well in their new endeavors.
I thank you and God bless you all.”
