Two major initiatives to help businesses attract investment and to help them recover, were announced at the inaugural TIA360 eThekwini Tourism Investment Symposium held online at the Durban ICC earlier this month.
In the first initiative, all tourism businesses in Durban are invited to be part of an investment Project Book with exposure to local and international investors. This includes being showcased on a global electronic investment platform with over six million business subscribers.
Russell Curtis, Head of Invest Durban, said the Project Book would have multiple phases and was available for business leaders to submit tourism investment projects for investors to support.
Business Turnaround & Recovery
It was also announced at the symposium that TIA360, LeadHR Consulting and Productivity SA had launched a Business Turnaround & Recovery (BT&R) programme to assist tourism businesses facing economic distress.
The BT&R programme offers initiatives or schemes with the aim of minimising the retrenchment of employees or preventing job losses, as per Sections 7 and 32(g) of the Employment Services Act, and Section 5(d) of the Unemployment Insurance Act.
The scheme can provide for turnaround strategies, lay-offs, retraining or alternative opportunities by helping companies improve productivity and profitability through a series of interventions that focus on upping the company’s performance through better marketing, financial strategies, management, HR and operations.
Click HERE for more details on the programme.
Symposium a ‘success’
The virtual TIA360 eThekwini Tourism Investment Symposium was held in partnership with eThekwini Municipality’s Invest Durban unit, supported by Durban Tourism, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the SA Venture Capital Association (SAVCA).
The primary aim of the symposium was to support and attract investment to KwaZulu Natal’s tourism industry by identifying key tourism support measures, expert thought leadership inputs, and projects or programmes for potential investors as well as existing stakeholders.
Said TIA360 CEO Sindile Xulu: “The symposium was a great success and met all our expectations and objectives. We were delighted to have a number of high-calibre speakers and panellists on the programme, many of whom presented invaluable concepts, proposals and ideas that can now be taken forward and implemented.
“Most importantly, we are thrilled to announce a number of additional tangible programmes that will assist businesses in need.”
Over 220 unique viewers attended the symposium online.
