Instant info for tourists on electronic kiosk network
- Staff Reporter

An IT network that will connect the 20 South Cape tourism bureaux through touch screen kiosks will be developed as part the Eden District Municipality's ICT strategy to enhance social and economic development in the region.
This was announced by Thomas van der Watt, the municipality's representative on the Provincial Consultative Forum (PCF), which is due to make its recommendations to the Presidential National Commission on the use of Information and Communication Technologies to accelerate SA's development.
Tourism, he said, was one of the major economic generators in the South Cape region and this network would offer a valuable service. These kiosks, which will operate from a central server, will provide the visitor with information, ranging from events and services to restaurants and tourist attractions as well as enabling them to do on-line bookings for accommodation. For management the system will provide management information needed for tourism strategy and planning.
The Eden IT Strategy is focused on the support of development programmes and has embarked on extensive monitoring systems to pinpoint the exact needs of the region. Recent successes include the creation of 100 jobs through five SMMEs, including a sewing goods factory at Friemersheim, cluster vegetable farming near the George Airport, a furniture factory at Rheenendal and bakeries at Haarlem and Herbertsdale. A further 100 jobs were created in 11 different SMMEs in the LED funded Uniondale Empowerment Project, including businesses involved in sewing goods, wooden products and furniture, tourism services, a tea garden, a garden project, a soup kitchen and an outfit producing quilts.
Other projects include the establishment of a regional GIS to create Engineering Master Plans for roads, water, electricity reticulation and other Engineering services throughout the region. The service will be further developed for emergency services, disaster management and customer queries on a district level.
The Economic performance monitor is a high-level software programme that utilises the RSC levies system to track performance in the different economic sectors. Advantages of the system are that it updates automatically as people pay their RSC levies and that the information is never more than one day old.
“ A number of ICT systems are underway at present and we appeal to the Government for financial support to complete these systems. The deployment of IT systems will make a huge contribution to accelerate the development of our region,” he said.