travelwires.com -- On the back of the announcement last week that the SA economy shrank by 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2009 putting the country in an “official recession” - the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) have challenged the public and private sector to use tourism to stimulate the economy. Mmastšatši Marobe, CEO of the TBCSA says, “Tourism is one of the sectors that can, and is, bucking the recession trend, and further investment into boosting the tourism industry will help ensure the economy does not slip further in recessionary terms.”