Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, South African Minister of Tourism, has announced that he has appointed Mr Peter Bacon as Chairperson of the Tourism Grading Council Awards Committee and a member of the board of South African Tourism (SAT).
Minister van Schalkwyk has expressed his delight with Mr Bacon’s appointment. “It is a privilege to have Mr Bacon on board to help us with the challenge to grow tourism to a major sector of the South African economy. His experience in the hospitality industry will be of immense value to the Tourism Grading Council and I am very pleased that he has agreed to make this important contribution to our industry,” the Minister said.
The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) was recently incorporated under SAT as one of its business units. The Minister said that this step confirmed the importance of quality assurance as a key ingredient of the South African tourism offering and the seriousness with which it was being approached.
“The quality assurance credibility of South Africa is of the utmost importance and will be a very important factor in our successful hosting of the soccer world cup in 2010, as well as the continued growth of the sector beyond 2010. As a government we are putting in place every possible step to make sure we build on our reputation for excellence and source as much expertise as possible to help us do this. I am therefore delighted that Mr Bacon has graciously agreed to lead the Tourism Grading Council Awards Committee and the important work it has to do,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.
The Tourism Grading Council Awards Committee which Mr Bacon will be chairing is the body that makes decisions on the star grading of establishments which apply for grading in South Africa. This body does the important work of certifying an establishment as a one, two, three, four or five star establishment. The star grading is an independent assurance which helps consumers to understand what they can expect of an establishment in terms of amongst others quality, services and facilities.
Mr Bacon has an illustrious career of more than 40 years in the hospitality industry and has served as amongst others the chief executive of Sun International.
“South Africa is entering an exciting new tourism era as we reap the benefits of the popularity of our destination, substantial investment in infrastructure and human development by the tourism industry and the government and the success of our overseas marketing campaign,” Mr Bacon said.
“As an industry we stand on the brink of scaling exhilarating new heights, but there is still a lot of hard work to be done. I look forward to contributing to this process and working with the team of the TGCSA and at SAT to ensure that South Africa builds on its reputation as a destination that offers both excellence and value for money to tourists. It is of critical importance that South Africa’s star grading system is internationally recognised and that the stars we award are a true reflection of the quality an establishment offers. I am excited about helping to implement this vital system,” Mr Bacon said.
For more information visit (http://www.tourismgrading.co.za/)
Enquiries:
Natasha Rockman
Tel: 021 465 7240
Cell: 076 429 2264
E-mail: nrockman@tourism.gov.za
Funeka Kraai
Tel: 011 895 3105
Cell: 072 240 3808
E-mail: funeka@southafrica.net
Issued by: Department of Tourism
15 November 2009
Source: Department of Tourism (http://www.tourism.gov.za/)
