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Accolades aplenty for effort and excellence
Local Tourism Awards
Winning smile: Shaheed Ebrahim, 2012 Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner
© South African Tourism
Did you know?
Shaheed Ebrahim was named 2012 Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year in Durban during May.
The quality of local South African tourism awards available to members of the domestic tourism industry has grown from strength to strength over the years. Many ‘best of' polls are eagerly anticipated each year, but more than simply gauging popularity (and thereby quality, of course), a number of local tourism awards can be described as ‘awards with a purpose' and the benefits have far-reaching effects.
Two awards that are particularly well known are South African Tourism's Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award (ETEYA) and the Welcome Awards. The fact that both are experiencing huge increases in entries indicates they are finding their marks. ETEYA seeks to single out those innovative smaller business that deserve to be centre stage, and some winners have gone on to become industry movers and shakers. ETEYA has been revamped and revised and now offers a strong mentorship component as well as a knowledge centre, where tourism entrepreneurs can hone their business skills. The new ETEYA model is all about going the extra mile and then some.
The Welcome Awards encourage customer care and service excellence to afford the visitor as pleasant an experience as possible. As with ETEYA, these awards have grown and morphed into something far bigger than initially anticipated.These awards, originally part of the SA Tourism portfolio, are now being run and managed by the National Department of Tourism (NDT).
These local awards do much to enhance the profiles of the product-owners, but also have an added benefit in the fact that training and mentorship is seen as a major priority for SA Tourism and the relevant organisers.
Tourists worldwide are increasingly conscious of doing the least harm in their travels. Responsible tourism and conservation are buzzwords in the global industry today. A home-grown responsible tourism awards scheme, the Imvelo Awards, has been effect for some time now and its vote carry weight in the industry. Another local tourism award programme from our national parks authority, the SANParks Kudu Awards, pays tribute to those who partner the organisation in conservation.
There are also numerous awards that rate South Africa's accommodation industry.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
ETEYA Awards
South African Tourism
90 Protea Road
Chislehurston
Sandton 2196
Tel: +27 11 895 3078
mabeka@southafrica.net
Imvelo Awards
The Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA)
Tel: + 27 11 467 5009
Email: fedhasa@fedhasa.co.za