Seven students from around the globe are set to help grow Kouga’s Tourism industry.
The students, who hail from seven different countries but all study Tourism at Heilbronn University in Germany, visited the DA led Kouga Municipality last week to gather information and experience first-hand what the region has to offer.
Executive Mayor Horatio Hendricks said the students had chosen to do their Master’s projects about sustainable Tourism development in the Kouga region.
“Three of the students are researching the viability of a zero-energy hotel for the region while the other four are conducting a general market analysis, aimed at identifying ways of increasing tourist numbers outside the peak seasons,” he said.
“Their research will be invaluable, both in Kouga’s efforts to grow the local Tourism industry and in our battle against climate change.”
The students are being hosted by Kouga Municipality and have been visiting various tourist attractions, including the grave of Khoi icon Sarah Baartman at Hankey and Jeffreys Bay’s world-renowned surfing spot Supertubes, where preparations are already under way for the Corona Open JBay in July.
They also met with Tourism roleplayers, including the Kouga Local Tourism Organisation, Supertubes Foundation and the Humansdorp Museum Association. The students stayed at Cape St Francis Resort while they were in Kouga.
Hendricks said Kouga was excited to partner with the students.
“It’s wonderful to have such a diverse mix of young people applying their minds to growing our Tourism industry,” he said.
“The students hail from Vietnam, Nepal, Mexico, Panama, Cameroon, Italy and Croatio, which gives them a vast understanding of what tourists from different backgrounds are looking for.”
He said the students’ visit is one of the first spin-offs of Kouga’s climate change partnership with the German municipality Ilsfeld.
“Together with Nelson Mandela University, the municipality is also working on establishing a broader student exchange programme with Germany for Kouga’s youth,” he said.
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