Committee appointed to review SA Tourism

SA Tourism, the entity responsible for marketing South Africa as a domestic and international destination is going to be extensively reviewed, Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom has said.

SAnews.gov reports Hanekom has appointed a ministerial committee to review SA Tourism’s institutional alignment and strategic focus in the context of the broader public and private sector landscape for tourism marketing and tourism sector governance.

“The tourism sector operates in a dynamic and constantly changing environment. Technology is developing rapidly and is changing the way that we communicate and market ourselves, consumer preferences are evolving, and source markets are shifting,” Hanekom said.

“Continual change in the operating and market environment requires us to review how effective our organisational structures are to deliver against their mandates,” he said.

According to the report, tourism has been identified as a key sector with the potential to contribute to economic growth and sustainable employment in the National Development Plan.

Several tourism, marketing and governance experts are part of the review team:

• Mr Valli Moosa (Chairperson)

• Dr Crispin Olver (Deputy Chairperson)

• Mr Mavuso Msimang

• Ms Kate Rivett Carnac

• Dr Tanya Abrahamse

• Ms Nunu Tshingila-Njeke

• Ms Jeanine Pires

The panel’s analysis will include “a study of international best practice that guides tourism governance and marketing; the division of roles between national tourism administrations and destination marketing organisations, and key performance indicators of comparable destination marketing organisations”.

The review is expected to be completed by the end of April 2015. This will precede the appointment of a new Board which will assume duty on 1 June 2015.

Source: Traveller 24

Book your seat here.

Join the discussion here.