By Neo Kolane
Tsikoane Community Tours has embarked on a campaign to teach the local community about the importance of trained tour guides, an innovative way of using tourism to create public awareness of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tsikoane is an area between Hlotse and Maputsoe in the district of Leribe. This village is named after Tsikoane Mountain. Part of Tsikoane has been declared an urban area and is eligible for development.
The mountain is located 14km from Maputsoe border gate (Fickburg border) and 46km from Butha-Buthe border gate (Caledonspoort border) via Hlotse town. It is 90km from Maseru yown
Tsikoane Community Tours is a Tsikoane based tour guide society that was founded in 2017 with the aim of reducing unemployment, empowering community through tour guiding.
Speaking in an interview with thereporter, tour guide and founder of the initiative, Ntshuseng Shobane could not over-emphasise the importance of the initiative, especially to young people who as part of the community, need to understand the importance of informing trained tour guides whenever a tourist pops up unannounced.
“It is a trial for us as trained tour guides.”
Shobane stated that the organisation has invited the District Command Centre through the office of the District Administrator, in a bid to convince experienced officers to take part in the project whose current focus involves teaching people about Covid-19 regulations.
“The community has been alerted through the office of the area chief and attendees will be benefit immensely from the interactions.”
Tsikoane Community Tours was founded with the aim to learn and teach about cultural diversity, poverty reduction, crime reduction, unity, innovation and creativity.
“So far we will be placing posters around the village because Tsikoane is a big community, we want the community to inform the chief immediately the moment there are visitors from outside.”
