As part of its efforts to rebuild a tourism sector devastated by Covid-19 and lockdown regulations, the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) is focusing on a several of youth projects that expose young people to the industry and will inspire entrepreneurship within the sector. *The projects were piloted in rural parts of the Wild Coast where young people struggle with making ends meet yet are surrounded by great tourism potential*.
The ECPTA, the Eastern Cape’s tourism authority that co-manages numerous nature reserves together with several local communities, understands the need to revive the sector so that residents in these adjacent communities can earn an income and provide means by which to sustain their livelihoods. By placing the youth in the tourism mainstream, generational gaps in income can be closed, boosting not only the stability of the local communities but the province and country as a whole.  The ECPTA thus trained youth as kayak guides, providing them with kayaks to use for business, and training them on how to use the kayaks including key safety means like life jackets that they have provided as well.  In addition, women were also being trained as massage therapists and provided with the requisite equipment.
In partnership with local tourism businesses, the youth will be working in community and privately-owned establishments in this way, they are able to earn an income while simultaneously enhancing the service offerings of these establishments.
