South African Tourism’s Welcome initiative is five years old and it has two distinct, but closely related purposes.

The first is to encourage every single South African to develop personal awareness around the importance of tourism to our nation and to our economy and to be warm, welcoming hosts to visitors either from elsewhere in the country or from a foreign country.

The second is to encourage and to reward service excellence in tourism industry itself, among hotels, conference centres, tour operators, travel agencies, tourist attractions and restaurants. This is why it is the ambition of the Welcome Awards to encourage competition amongst members of the industry as they compete for what has become an extremely prestigious and sought-after award.

Says Hanneli Slabber, Global Manager: Product for SA Tourism: “These awards hold a huge amount of credibility in the industry. Winning a Welcome Award gives tourism service providers kudos, and defines their commitment to quality service.”

With fewer than 250 days to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ excellent service delivery is paramount to the experience that visitors take home with them after their visit. The better our service excellence, the more globally competitive South Africa is as a destination. The Welcome Awards serve to raise the bar on good service delivery and create a national culture of warmth, friendliness and helpfulness to tourists.

Judging the Awards

The categories cover the length and breadth of the industry to recognise the diversity of businesses and services that the destination has on offer. These include accommodation, tour operators, tourist attractions, restaurants, travel agencies, tourist guides, parks and meeting and conferencing facilities. Judging is based on three important criteria, says Slabber, that are applied across all categories. The criteria are: 1) making contact or booking services, 2) arrival/service preparation, and 3) departure or conclusion of services.

Says Pieter de Bruin, Head of the Tourism Division, for FNB Commercial Banking: “We urge the entire industry to enter the Welcome Awards. The Awards should be more than a certificate on the wall; they should be something that has commercial value in your business. Part of FNB Commercial Banking’s mandate for 2010 is helping the tourism industry get ready and the Welcome Awards will inspire businesses to get their service levels up to scratch.

The Welcome Awards is a partnership with SA Tourism and an example of how FNB as an official 2010 National supporter is helping the tourism industry get ready to host the greatest World Cup ever. The tourism industry is South Africa’s ambassadors of superb service and demonstrates our readiness to welcome the world when it arrives for the World Cup in June next year.”

Entries for the Welcome Awards close on 30 November 2009. Enter online now. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at INDABA in May 2010.

Last year E-Tourism Africa held Africa’s first international online tourism conference in Johannesburg to educate the local trade about the need to increase their online presence- as Africa has not kept up with these global trends. A new E-Tourism Africa Summit, is now planned for Johannesburg on 1-2^nd December. This conference, sponsored by Vodacom Business, VISA and Travelport, will be their biggest event yet- with a line up of leading local and international speakers.

Google’s Head of Tourism and Trip Advisor’s Head of Africa will be there- along with Jerome Touze, the Co- Founder and Co-CEO of the largest travel social network Wayn.com- who have been working with SA Tourism promoting South Africa for 2010. Also presenting are Expedia, SA Tourism, Quirk eMarketing and a host of innovative projects and products- including Wild Earth TV, SA Direct, Wildlife Direct and Virtual Africa.

CEO of E Tourism Africa, Damian Cook, explains that this year’s event has an all-new programme “At last years event- Twitter was barely known- now it is a major tool for tourism”.

There will be a special presentation from Uganda Wildlife Authority- who grabbed world headlines recently by putting their endangered gorillas on Facebook- garnering over 12,000 supporters in the first weeks of operation via social media.

The summit will demonstrate how media such as Twitter, Facebook and social networks can create awareness, build contacts and drive business- and how technology can be used for reservations, sales and management.

The E Tourism Africa Summit will be held in Johannesburg at the Gallagher Convention Centre – Midrand on the 1st-2nd December 2009.

You can see a video about the event here:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET1w4l-g5KQ

Registration for the E Tourism Africa Summit is open now –

www.e-tourismafrica.com

After a rigorous judging process, 27 travel and tourism businesses have been announced as the 2009/10 Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award (ETEYA) semi-finalists.

Last year’s award attracted 151 entries. When entries closed at the end of June this year, 206 businesses had entered, representing a 30 percent increase in entries. These semi-finalists represent guest houses, lodges, conference centres, car hire and shuttle services, tour operators, taverns and restaurants.

Hanneli Slabber, Global Manager: Product at South African Tourism says this is encouraging indeed and points to a growing industry and to more people building careers, and creating jobs for others in tourism.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy and historically disadvantaged people are finding opportunities to start businesses and make a good living out of this robust industry. This year’s awards are dominated by women with 18 out of the 27 businesses being women-owned.

“It gets harder every year to choose the semi-finalists as the entries get better and better. This is a show of the passion and hard work that emerging entrepreneurs are putting into their businesses. We hope that through ETEYA, we can help put these businesses on the map, assist in job creation and increase the quality of service delivery in the industry.”

Three semi-finalists representing each province have been selected from the 206 entrants. A finalist from each province will be announced at World Tourism Day celebrations that take place on September 29 in Kimberley.

September is Tourism Month in South Africa. Celebrations each year rotate between the country’s lesser visited provinces, with Northern Cape hosting 2009’s World Tourism Day celebrations.  It is also fitting that the finalists for ETEYA will be announced at the World Tourism Day celebrations as part of South Africa’s celebration of Tourism Month.

One of this province’s shortlisted candidates, Neiso Mophule from Repa Guest House says the Northern Cape is ripe for new businesses ventures in tourism.  “We have many hidden gems that visitors are unaware of. This makes it the perfect place for budding entrepreneurs like me to seize these opportunities and show just what the province has to offer.”

Says Chris Meyiwa, SAB’s Enterprise Development Manager: “ETEYA is about more than just winning an award. Candidates are taken through rigorous training programmes to help develop their businesses through mentorship, marketing and networking opportunities to create really sustainable business ventures. We congratulate all those who have made it to the semi-finals and wish them well on the journey to become well equipped, leading entrepreneurs.”

These semi-finalists were chosen based on their level of business acumen that examined their strategic business planning, leadership, financial records, marketing, social responsibility, people management and customer service.

From May to July this year, South African Tourism had been looking for outdoor-types from across the UK to give one lucky winner the chance to win a 10 day trip of a lifetime, following an action-packed itinerary including trekking, surfing, wildlife tracking, canoeing, bush walking, safari, bungee jumping, paragliding, diving and hot air ballooning.

Peters is in South Africa right now on this sensational and exciting trip.

The competition, run in conjunction with National Geographic Channel and natgeoadventure.tv (an adventure travel website launched by the National Geographic Channel), has helped to highlight some of the more active pursuits that are available in South Africa to travellers looking for anything from gentle walking or cycling to pushing themselves to the limits with some of the most challenging adventures in the world.

Jason, and nine other shortlisted finalists, faced a judging panel made up of representatives from South African Tourism, the National Geographic editorial and production teams, as well as an auditor from Delloitte and Touche to make sure the process was fair and equitable.

All entrants were asked to upload a short paragraph to a dedicated website on why they think they should have been chosen for the trip, demonstrating a thirst for adventure and a true desire to visit South Africa and explore what Jason describes as ‘the most diverse and exciting country in the world…’

Jason has the opportunity to share his experiences via multi-media platforms, including video diaries and blog updates on the website, during and after his trip and will even get the chance to address a specially selected audience at the Nat Geo Store in London’s Regent Street.

Lebo Mokhesi, Country Manager for South African Tourism in the UK says:  “It was a difficult decision to make, with more than 300 entrants and a superb shortlist that offered us a variety of winners to choose from. In the end, it was Jason’s incredible enthusiasm for South Africa that won through - his passion for wildlife and adventure sit perfectly with the South African culture, and we are very excited to hear all about his trip on his return to the UK.”

Sophie Potter, Account Director for National Geographic Channel UK says: “We are delighted to have found a candidate that so embodies the spirit of adventure we were seeking through the competition and will bring to life the wonderful opportunities South Africa offers for our audience.”

Jason Peters’ South African Adventure Itinerary Outline:

Day 1 - London/Johannesburg/KZN

Depart London for Johannesburg and take connecting flight to Kwa Zulu Natal

Day 2 - Kwa Zulu Natal

Game experience at Phinda Private Game reserve and Boma dinner

Day 3 - Kwa Zulu Natal

Early morning game drive. This morning Jason meets his ranger and departs on a river cruise, followed by lunch and an interpretive bush walk

Afternoon Game drive

Day 4 - Durban-PE

Check in for flight to Durban, and onwards flight to Port Elizabeth

Depart on a Shebeen Tour, followed by dinner at Shebeen and an overnight at Shamwari Townhouse

Day 5 - Jeffreys Bay

Depart to Jeffrey’s Bay for a day of surfing. Lunch at Island Vibe

Depart to Plettenberg Bay and stop over at Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours to enjoy an afternoon adrenaline rush

Day 6 - Tsitsikama

This morning Jason departs for hiking in the Tsitsikamma National Park, a Bungee jump from one of the worlds highest bungee point, and a mountain bike tour

Day 7 - Oudtshoorn

Depart to Oudtshoorn to visit an Ostrich Farm, the Cango Caves & Cheetah Park

Day 8 - Knysna

Depart to Knysna for a Featherbed Nature reserve tour and an afternoon abseiling

Day 9 - Cape Town

Transfer to George airport for flight to Cape Town. Visit to Table Mountain, a half day Peninsula tour including lunch on-route and dinner at Gold with interactive drumming

Day 10 - Cape Town

Depart the hotel after breakfast for a fun filled day with Adventure Tours, including tandem paragliding, a 4×4 Adventure tour, Sand boarding, and Volley Ball

Day 11 - Winelands

Depart to Winelands to enjoy quad biking through the Winelands in Stellenbosh before heading back to Cape Town International airport for a return flight to London

By close of business on Monday afternoon, 12 002 people had come through the front door. There were fewer exhibitors at INDABA this year and there were 7.04 percent fewer visitors. However, the number of media delegates grew significantly. There were 10.24 percent more journalists at INDABA this year than last year: 673 journalists in total.

Many of the journalists at INDABA this year said that Sunday morning’s Global Media Face Off was one of the best they have ever attended at INDABA. This, along with the first ETEYA awards to be presented at INDABA and the ever-popular Welcome Awards meant that there was never a dull moment. The launch of the South African Tourism 2010 campaign garnered a lot of positive feedback and many business connections were made.

Didi Moyle, Chief Operating Officer and acting Chief Executive Officer at South African Tourism is full of praise for every effort that went into making this INDABA the success it was. “INDABA is always hard work, and not only for us at South African Tourism. A successful INDABA demands months of planning by every single delegate. It demands an investment of time and energy. It is this partnership and focus on a collective cause that makes INDABA, and our industry, as successful as they are.”

From our perspective, it was an unforgettable experience. Despite little sleep (or maybe because of it), our team managed to record over 6 hours of footage, took 73 photos, tweeted 56 times and wrote close to 3 000 words on this blog. We were blown away by the sheer scale of the event, the efficiency of the organisers and the ingenuity of the exhibitors. When people say that INDABA is a “must-see event”, they are not joking!

For more, check out our photos and videos. Who knows? You might even see yourself!

See you there next year…

~The QuirkStars

The Boundless Africa Expedition departed today from the ICC in Durban. The send-off was a celebration of cultural diversity, featuring parachuters, singers and dancers from Swaziland, Lesotho, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga, as well as Miss South Africa, Tatum Keshwar.

The expedition is being led by modern day explorer, Kingsley Holgate. Embracing the Boundless theme of Nature, Culture, Community Kingsley and his crew will embark an epic journey through 9 countries and 7 Trans-Frontier Conservation Areas over a 3 month period:

• /Ai-/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
• Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
• Limpopo-Shashe Transfrontier Park
• Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
• Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area
• Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area

The team will take a calabash filled with water from Indian Ocean on the over 10 000km journey. This is the same calabash that Kingsley took on his Africa Outside Edge expedition and the round-the-world trip along the Tropic of Capricorn.

On this trip, Kingsley will undertake a number of humanitarian projects including distributing One Net One Life mosquito nets and providing malaria prevention education to pregnant mothers and children under the age of 5 in high risk malaria areas. He will also be continuing the ‘Rite to Sight’ campaign in which spectacles are distributed to the poor sighted.

Click here to view the photos of the event.

This South Afican Tourism initiative was hosted by comedians Dr. Riaad Moosa and Kagiso Lediga. Both remained sharp, witty and engaging, striking exactly the right tone between humour and the genuine thrill of being at the centre of Africa’s biggest tourism awards.

While acknowledging service excellence and quality service delivery, what makes these winners special is that they all have the unique ability to make customers feel welcome in addition to showcasing the beauty of South Africa.

The winners, who were described as “world class acts”, are:

1. Accommodation: Overall winner - Karkloof Lodge

• Bed and Breakfast/guesthouses/country house: Auberge Provence Guesthouse
• Backpackers & Hostelling/caravan and camping sites: Jikeleza Lodge International
• Lodges: Karkloof Lodge
• Self Catering: Alpine House
• Hotels: Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa

2. Tour Operators: Overall winner - Specialised African Tour Services

• Tour Operators – less than five years:  Specialised African Tour Services
• Tour Operators – more than five years: Ilios Travel PTY LTD

3. Tourist Guides: Overall winner - Linda Leung

• National: Linda Leung
• Provincial: Gregory Majapela
• Regional or local: Pietman Retief

4. Tourist Attractions:

• SAB World of Beer

5. Travel Agencies:

• South African Travel Centre

6. Restaurants: Overall winner - Nyonis Kraal Restaurant

• Casual dining: Chez Alina
• Fine dining: Nyonis Kraal Restaurant

7. MESE:

• Meetings venues: Van Ryn’s Distillery

8. Parks:

• Game Reserves and National Parks: Mokala National Park

9. On-line:

• City Lodge Group

After trekking through the vast Durban ICC halls, we spotted him and flagged him down. This is what he had to say:

We will be covering the launch of his expedition tomorrow morning to give you the full story.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

These are the words that Richard Quest, host of CNN’s “Quest Means Business”, opened the Global Media Face-off with. An accurate description of the excitement of the impending 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM and the effect of the global economic downturn on the South African economy. These topics were the focus of the session, which featured panelists including Danny Jordaan, FIFA 2010 Local Organising Committee CEO and Monhla Hlahla, Airports Company CEO.

Quest vowed to keep the panel open and transparent telling the media that no topic was off limits. He demonstrated this by asking Dr Iran Abedian, MD of Pan African Advisory Services, if South Africa would go into a recession. The answer was a simple yes but, due to our responsible economic policies and strict lending guidelines, we will weather the storm better than most.

Quest readied the other panelists with some questions of his own and then opened up the floor. The response was enthusiastic and tough questions were asked around the potential security issues, transport readiness and comparisons with the 2006 FIFA World Cup^TM in Germany.

Horst Schmidt, consultant to FIFA and general secretary of the German Football Association described how the World Cup in Germany united the East and West and changed the global perceptions towards the country. He expressed his belief that next year’s event would do the same for South Africa.

Throughout the session, Quest kept true to his word, deftly ensuring the panelists satisfied the media’s questions and concerns. This was made clear when he asked the audience to put up their hands if they believed the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM would be a success - the room was filled with raised hands, whistles and applause.

It is clear that the global media agrees with the words of Carol Manana from last night’s opening ceremony - “It is Africa’s time to shine, Ke Nako!”

As we arrived, the sense of welcome was evident from the outset despite the torrential rainfall. Great food, great company and the sound of the music made sure that we really felt the need to celebrate and party.

In addition to Drum Cafe, the INDABA beach party was the place where the Diski Dance was brought to life in the form of dance demonstrations and lessons from a company of specially trained diski dancers.

This was the perfect platform to invite all to learn the Diski Dance and heartily welcome the world to the great party the FIFA 2010 World Cup ^TM is going to be.

The dance gives evidence of South Africa’s sense of fun and inclusiveness while demonstrating to the world how committed South Africa is as a nation to sport.

As the rain fell harder, we left the bonanza with a feeling of “it’s time” - it’s time to come, to celebrate, to score! And at the end of the day, it certainly felt like the INDABA had scored.