South African President Thabo Mbeki says facilities within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park will serve as a positive spin-off for tourism in the SADC region ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup and beyond.

Speaking at the official opening of the Giriyondo Access Facility in Limpopo on Wednesday, he said as an African event, the soccer showpiece brought an opportunity for Africans to come together and plan for socio-economic development in the continent.

"We must surely redouble our efforts to ensure that this unique and rich tapestry of life on our planet is turned into a jewel of the tourism market," he said, referring to the Park that has been branded "the world's largest animal kingdom".

Mr Mbeki said Africans needed to create a potential tourism boom that would accelerate Africa's contribution to the global tourist market, which stood at 4.5 percent in 2003.

"Our Transfrontier Parks (TFPs) and Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), coupled with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, provide us with a unique opportunity for exceptional growth in the tourism industry," he said.

He cited that nine Ministers of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the SADC region had a joint proposal to develop and market a Transfrontier Conservation Areas Tourism Route for 2010 and beyond.

"The success of the proposal will be conditional on urgent consideration of issues relating to tourism infrastructure investment, security, quality assurance within the hospitality sector and ease of travel within the region," he said.

The President explained that it was important that this proposal be endorsed for the development of additional access facilities in all other Transfrontier Conservation Areas. - BuaNews