Swellendam Local Municipality is the best-run coalition government in South Africa, according to the 2016 Government Performance Index, for great service delivery, financial management, and leadership. This DA-led municipality works to be a visionary municipality where all residents prosper, there are high-quality services, and where – working together – we keep making progress. The local government works hard to attract job-creating tourism and prioritises residents in poor communities.
Swellendam has been recognised as South Africa’s top eco-friendly destination.
The Luxury Travel Guide publication selected Swellendam as the Eco-Friendly Destination of the Year-South Africa in the Africa and Middle East Awards 2017 category.
Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities, congratulated the destination.
“This is an excellent achievement for Swellendam and for tourism in the Western Cape. Tourism is one of our fastest-growing sectors, and has the potential to add up to an additional 100 000 jobs to our economy, if we put dedicated energy into it. Awards like this garner international promotion for our destination. I would like to commend Swellendam Tourism and the municipality for the work they are doing in growing tourism,” said Minister Winde.
In correspondence to Swellendam Tourism, Luxury Travel Guide states that the awards “represent the pinnacle of travel and tourism achievement, championing the best in their respective fields”.
“All winners of the Luxury Travel Guide Awards are subject to the same rigorous assessment criteria, carried out by our in-house professionals. This ensures only the most deserving firms and individuals walk away with one of these prestigious accolades and gain a place in our awards winners’ guide, which will be distributed to over 500,000 professional & affluent people worldwide,” reads the correspondence.