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Editorial comments

Tourism : A new chapter
To conclude the year on a high note, the annual national tourism conference was hosted by the Free State on 4 and 5 December 2003 at Thaba Nchu Sun, providing some pioneering new directions. Focussing on the five key aspects of Marketing and branding, Investing in product development, Quality tourism experience, Human resource development and Transformation and empowerment, the historic Declaration on Partnership for Tourism Growth and Global Competitiveness was adopted as national policy instrument.
You find a summary of this event on pages 4 - 7 of this edition, also with the explicit aim of updating the tourism industry in the Free State about the latest developments, so that this province can take up its rightful place in the national drive for maximum share of the global cake.
There is, however, one aspect about which the Free State Business Bulletin has reservations and that is the ambiguous empowerment being envisaged for the tourism industry. While we are for transformation and for qualified empowerment, we think any artificially imposed quota system at the expense of other South Africans just because their skin color is white, is not right. Especially the so-called “scorecard” for tourism needs to be revisited, otherwise it could boomerang as regards the over-riding aims, viz. maximizing South Africa and the Free State as an international tourist destination.
Be as it may, may the results of this conference prove to be a key towards finally unlocking the Free State's tourism potential.

Die voorbeeld van Koppies
Ons dink dit is fantasties wat die mense van Koppies regkry met hul Vuka! Aksiegroep Inisiatief. Terwyl hulle ly aan baie van dieselfde kwale as feitlik alle Vrystaatse dorpe, soos werkloosheid, agteruitgang van besigheid, armoede en plakkery, het die mense van Koppies besluit om bymekaar te kom, saam te werk en spesifieke dinge te doen om hul gesamentlike lot te verbeter.
Wat hulle inderdaad doen, is plaaslike ekonomiese ontwikkeling, oftewel die veelbesproke “local economic development” (LED). Baie spreekwoordelike water moet nog vir hulle in die see loop, maar ten minste reis die mense van Koppies op die regte pad.
Dit is in skrille kontras met talle ander dorpe waar niks gedoen word nie en/of swart raadslede en amptenare aan die een kant en blanke sakelui aan die ander kant mekaar aangluur en waar in sommige gevalle die munisipale regskoste vir prosedering van sakelui en boere die bedrag oorskry wat vir armoedeverligting aangewend word.
Ons beste wense vergesél die mense van Koppies !

Season's greetings
It is that time again where we have to say goodbye to another year and are welcoming another with anticipation. The year of 2003 that was : Was it good for the Free State, or rather bad ? Did we socio-economically advanced, or did we regress ? The assessment we leave to our readers. The year 2004 ? For business and development in the Free State we have at least five wishes :

• May provincial government and municipalities on the one side and the private business sector on the other hand join hands in building our province. Synergize to the benefit of the community at large.
• May the Free State jack up its manufacturing sector the most important sector for creating real economic growth, job creation and raising of standard of living. May Father Christmas at least have a MAC (manufacturing advice centre) for us on his sleigh.
• May LED become a reality on more Free State platteland towns.
• May crime be so addressed that ordinary people can go about their daily living without fear of loss of life, limb and property.
• May we find a way of co-existing without the need for statutory racial “protection”.

We thank all our readers, advertisers, associates and distributors for your support the past year - without it there would have been no Bulletin. We wish everyone of you the personal significance of the Christ of Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2004 !