The South African Department of Tourism on Monday signed a collaborative agreement with global tech giant, Google, aimed at promoting the country as a prime tourist destination and to provide support to the sector in digital training.
Patricia de Lille, minister of tourism of South Africa, and Alistair Mokoena, country director for Google South Africa, signed the agreement in Cape Town, according to a statement released on the official website of the country’s government.
“The primary goal of this collaboration is to harness Google’s technological expertise to support the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts in promoting South Africa as a prime tourist destination,” said the statement. “The partnership aims to facilitate knowledge sharing, skills development, and the use of digital tools to enhance tourism experiences and sustainability.”
The statement said Google intends to provide support to the ministry to achieve its mandate, through providing access to its initiatives and programs in South Africa that are beneficial to the sector.
“This visionary partnership between Google and the Ministry of Tourism focuses on non-monetary exchanges to leverage each party’s strengths for mutual benefits,” the statement quoted de Lille as saying.
As part of this multifaceted collaboration, according to the statement, Google will provide insights into global travel trends, offer digital skills training programs for South African individuals and businesses, as well as display the country’s tourism sites and cultural heritage to the world.
