As part of the Africa Women’s Month Celebration, Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC) honoured and celebrated women in tourism.
The Woman in Tourism Program is an initiative that seeks to drive and support the development, empowerment, and promotion of women in the tourism sector.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Tourism, Environment, and Culture, Ms. Nthloi Motsamai expressed gratitude to be part of this beautiful celebration.
She noted that since women ventured into tourism, they have positively impacted the country’s economy hence encouraging them to work hard, support each other and build their own legacy, saying next year’s event will be bigger and better.
She, however, said there is still a lot to be done in order to grow the tourism sector, urging them to visit LTDC for guidance.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer LTDC, Dr Retselisitsoe Nko thanked all relevant stakeholders, saying this celebration would not be a success without their unwavering support.
He stressed that more women venturing into the tourism business aligns with SDG5 which is aimed to achieve gender quality and empower all women and girls.
He wished them well in their future endeavours and wished them well saying they should continue leading in the tourism business as the statistics show.
In conclusion, he said collaboration and sharing of knowledge are key in this business.
On the same token, the Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sports, and Recreation (MGYSR) Principal Secretary, Dr Mamoeketsi Ntho Said tourism coordinates different sectors, saying there is a value chain hence tourism can impact the economy positively.
She noted that one of the MGYSR’s mandates is to support women in business, women in politics, and social empowerment hence they are supporting women in business.
Speaking on behalf of the Women in Tourism business, Ms. Matseliso Mokuoane said they are ready to support each other to grow their businesses by joining hands so as to transform domestic tourism as well as marketing Lesotho at the international level.
She revealed that the main challenges that hinder the growth of tourism in this country include failure to network as well as failure to market their businesses, however, she stated that it is time for them to bring about the change they want by uniting to make Lesotho known for its uniqueness.
As part of the celebration, awards of excellence were presented to various tourism businesses including Mlex Beauty Spa, Mahlakapese Guest House and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT).
Women in big business were encouraged to adopt the upcoming ones to track progress and assess the impact whilst putting in tailored and short interventions to ensure the sustainability of the programme.
Women from different sectors were given a chance to present and share knowledge in order to equip Women in Tourism with the necessary information that will help enhance business.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of Lesotho.
