1 December 2006
Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism,
today announced the appointment of a new board for the Tourism Grading Council
of South Africa (TGCSA).
The following board members have been appointed for a period of three years,
commencing on 1 December 2006:
1. Chairperson - Mr Alan Romburgh, Chief Executive Officer: Relais Hotels,
Cape Town
2. Mr Kingsley Potter, Chief Marketing Officer, SA Tourism
3. Mr Terry Tselane, Commissioner of Independent Electoral Commission
4. Mr Mogare Makoloi, Director Marketing and human resource development, Badger
Industrial Services
5. Mr Martin Weist, Chief Operating Officer, Tourvest Inbound Operators
6. Ms Nokuphiwa Moshweunyane, Luthego Training and Development
7. Mr Krishna Govender, Financial Manager, MNET
8. Mr Miller Matola, Chief Executive Officer, International Convention Centre,
Durban
9. Ms Jennifer Seiff, Executive Director: Fair Trade in Tourism South
Africa
10. Ms Sheila Sekhitla, Secretary of Tembisa Chamber of Commerce
11. Mr Glenn Phillips, Executive Director: Marketing and Tourism,
SANParks
12. Mr Phillip Thompson, MD: Disability Institute SA, DISA
13. Dr Billy Gallagher, Director Public Relations and Communications, Southern
Sun Hotels
14. Mr Thami Bolani, Chairman: National Consumer Forum.
Minister Van Schalkwyk, today wished the newly appointed board every success
in leading the Tourism Grading Council to even greater heights of
achievement.
The TGCSA developed and launched the National Star Grading Scheme in
November 2001, following extensive research and consultation with the tourism
industry. To date, over 4 800 accommodation establishments have joined the
scheme, making it the fastest growing tourism quality assurance system in the
entire history of tourism in this country. The Grading Council has also
embarked on a process of grading other sectors, such as food and beverage
outlets and conference venues.
The Minister remarked, "Tourism plays a major part in the Accelerated and
Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), our national economic
growth strategy. Therefore, the leadership of our statutory bodies that support
the industry's growth must be of the highest calibre, and be ready to provide
the vision and wisdom to steer us through an increasingly competitive global
tourism market, whilst advancing the national priorities of job creation and
transformation."
"The Tourism Grading Council also has a crucial role to play in the lead-up
to 2010. Its agreement with MATCH, the company contracting all official FIFA
accommodation, is the lynchpin in an agreement that will ensure that the World
Cup benefits are spread across all sectors of our economy. The FIFA-MATCH-TGCSA
agreement creates a framework that will, for the first time, allow non-hotel
accommodation such as national park accommodation, bed-and-breakfast
establishments, and guest houses to be contracted as official FIFA
accommodation. However, to be included in this scheme, establishments will need
to be graded by the TGCSA. This will vastly increase the stock of graded
accommodation in the country and have lasting benefits for small, medium and
micro enterprises long after the event," said the Minister.
Enquiries:
Riaan Aucamp
Cell: 083 778 9923
Issued by: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
1 December 2006
