Kenmo Lake

The Southern Drakensberg Community Tourism Organisation [SDCTO] was established in October 2007 in compliance with Provincial legislation that defines a “community tourism organisation” as an independent local organisation registered with the [KZN Tourism] Authority, responsible for the promotion of tourism establishments and tourism operators within a local area, within the Province"

This is then also further in line with other national legislation that :

• defines "the legal nature of a municipality as including the local community within the municipal area, working in partnership with the municipality’s political and administrative structures ; and
• places upon the people [municipality] the responsibility "to promote tourism"

Our Community naturally recognises the necessity of working together in all walks of life, irrespective of race, colour, creed or otherwise. These values are fortunately well entrenched in a remote rural area like ours where people accept having to have a much closer-knit dependency on each other; where the next person just might be your only chance between life or death, or you might be theirs.

Our SDCTO recognises and seeks to foster the understanding that Tourism in our area offers "an experience" to our visitors; which is much more than food to eat, or something to buy, or a place to sleep, or a beautiful natural setting, or something interesting to see and do. It is also the always friendly smile, the unexpected helping hand, and doing that bit extra that was not expected.

Everyone, from the hotel staff, to the gate-keeper, to the petrol attendant, to the taxi drivers, to the shop-keepers, to farmers and the farm-workers, to the road construction worker, impacts on the tourists' experience, be it good or bad, without one really realising it.

Sucessful Tourism in our area is thus not only up to the official tourism/hospitality product owners like hotels,resorts, B&Bs or resturants and coffee shops, but requires a culture of service orientation from everyone in our community to ensure that our visitors leave with "good memories", that will make them come back and tell their friends.