A ‘fill-in’ subject at school leads Dube to launch his own tourism business
LOXTION Tours founder and creator Gcinokuhle Kenneth Dube admits that he never imagined he would one day host tourists or share stories about his Durban home town.
His love for the industry began at a young age and he chose travel and tourism as a subject while a learner at Bonela High School in Cato Manor.
But the 33-year-old admitted his first love was the arts and he initially thought that he would end up in radio.
“I took tourism basically as a fill-in subject. Tourism was not on my mind. What was in my mind was media and being on TV and particularly radio,” he told Independent Media Lifestyle.
“So I did dramatic arts, but if you did dramatic arts, you had to do history and tourism, and I fell in love with the subject and what it could do for me, economically.”
Dube’s love for all things tourism saw him open up his own company seven years ago.
As his knowledge of the industry grew, he realised that selling Cato Manor’s rich history and heritage would have a positive impact in his community.
The area is known for its turbulent history, and forced removals, riots and even assassinations were rife.
Dube describes Cato Manor as “Durban’s version of Cape Town’s District Six and Joburg’s Sophiatown.
“It came to me that you know what, you live in a community that is so rich in history, you have a qualification in tourism, you studied tourism in school, so why not? When I started the business, it worked for me, hence I am where I’m at now,” he said.
Dube will be showcasing alongside Tourism Kwazulu-natal at this year’s edition of Africa’s Travel Indaba.
The three-day trade show is scheduled to be held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban next week from Monday to Thursday.
Dube has also previously showcased at the World Tourism Market (WTM) Africa in Cape Town.
He has attributed his success to these events, which he believes help him promote his business and inform international visitors about what he does.
“There are a lot of challenges, but
one that stands out is the difficulty sometimes in getting jobs,” he admitted.
“Tourism is a white-dominated field and it is these trade shows such as WTM that makes us known, because without those programmes like Africa’s Travel Indaba and WTM Africa, you are not known. So part of those challenges is that you need to be known, you need to be trusted.”
He added that trust is one of the biggest challenges to overcome as this
is often the foundation between the foreign investors and tourists who want to work with him.
“Usually, it is white tourism business owners that would actually have this sort of partnership, but having WTM and all these big role-players coming into the country and seeing what is unique and what they can sell and they see a person like me, they know that there are Africans doing this,” said Dube.
He also highlighted that these events balance the scales by having tour operators like himself showcasing alongside their white counterparts.
And when it comes to inspiring young South Africans to take up space in the tourism industry, Dube said that one thing he realised as a small business operator is that the tourism business needs perseverance.
He explained that although he started his business in 2017, it took four years for it to grow into the enterprise that it is today, as he provides local and international tourists with safe and reliable tours as a tour operator and a guide.
“One of the things that I’ve mastered in tourism is that you cannot work alone. Tourism is interlinked. You need another person,” he said.
“When I first entered the space, I started with nothing materially. I didn’t have money, I didn’t have vehicles, but I worked in terms of partnerships to get access to these (things) for my business.”
He added that he also introduced himself to accredited shuttle owners, hotels and B&B’S in the industry. He then consolidated his packages and would sell them to clients.
Dube said that by doing this, he came to the realisation that he could be successful.
“You start with what you have and build from that,” he advised.
“Be confident, stand up and know about the industry. What you study in the books in school, it’s a totally new phase when you actually step into the industry.”
“It has its perks, but tourism is a major industry that is here to change South Africa’s economic landscape, and you should be part of this.
“In tourism, you don’t have to necessarily work for someone, you could build your own empire.”