Minister Patricia De Lille And Google Sign Collaborative Agreement

Minister Patricia De Lille And Google Sign Collaborative Agreement. The South African Department Of Tourism is delighted to announce the signing of an Agreement between the Minister of Tourism of South Africa, Patricia Lille and global tech giant, Google, aimed at promoting South Africa as a prime tourist destination and providing training and support to the sector in digital training.

Minister de Lille and Dr. Alistair Mokoena, Country Director for Google South Africa signed the Agreement in Cape Town today. The Ministry of Tourism is mandated to create conditions conducive for growth and development of tourism in South Africa by the private sector. Google intends to provide support to the Ministry to achieve its mandate through providing access to its initiatives and programmes in South Africa that are beneficial to the sector.

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. The partnership aims to facilitate knowledge sharing, skills development, and the use of digital tools to enhance tourism experiences and sustainability.

This partnership is in line with Minister de Lille’s mission to grow tourism to its full potential, unlock the power of technology in the sector and increase arrivals to South Africa to support economic growth and job creation in South Africa. Minister de Lille said: “In an era of digital transformation, collaboration between technology giants and government entities has the potential to reshape industries and enhance public services. As stated in the Tourism Sector Green Paper, there is a ‘lack of support mechanisms for the (tourism) sector, particularly SMMEs, to adapt to a digital future and other technological advancements’. This visionary partnership between Google and the Ministry of Tourism, focusing on non-monetary exchanges to leverage each parties’ strengths for mutual benefits”.

“We are excited to partner with the Department of Tourism and to sign the letter of intent which aims to position South Africa as a great tourist destination. As a company that prides itself in organising the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful, we look forward to rolling out various programmes in conjunction with the department, to fast track digital transformation in the sector, helping with digital skills and showcasing South African tourism through our Google Arts & Culture platform,” Google SA Country Director, Dr Alistair Mokoena said.