SATSA Conference to host emerging businesses

JJOHANNESBURG, 8 JULY 2019 – The Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and South African Tourism (SA Tourism) are ensuring that there will be a strong focus on, and participation by emerging businesses at this year’s SATSA Conference.

The SATSA Conference, hosted in partnership with SA Tourism, is taking place at the Wild Coast Sun from 9-11 July 2019. Thirty-eight emerging businesses from all nine provinces will be represented at the SATSA conference and were selected from the Department of Tourism’s TIP (Tourism Incentive) programme.

The conference is one of the tourism industry’s biggest networking platforms and will ensure small enterprises who are just entering the sector have direct exposure to the Tourism industry, its issues, and the opportunity to network with experienced industry players.

SA Tourism will support the travel and accommodation costs for the emerging businesses to attend the event, while SATSA will sponsor the conference attendance fee.

This year’s SATSA conference is expected to be better than any year yet. Not only is it the association’s 50^th year celebration, but attendees can expect a fresh new look with a more modular format, interesting insights from thought leaders and, most of all, a whole new approach to networking. It’s also the first year that members of South African Youth Travel Confederation (SAYTC), who recently merged with SATSA, will be in attendance.

This means even greater potential to network, learn and engage with potential business partners for the emerging businesses attending.

“The tourism industry in South Africa needs to be an inclusive industry for all,” commented SA Tourism CEO, Sthembiso Dlamini. “The SATSA conference is crucial to exposing our emerging businesses to the larger tourism industry and having them in attendance speaks to one of our goals of transforming the industry so that historically disadvantaged South Africans benefit from the sector as well,” added Dlamini.

“The growth of the Tourism Industry is strongly reliant on the development and knowledge expansion of the SME sector,” says SATSA CEO David Frost. “Growing SMEs’ businesses is how we introduce diversity and variety into our sector which helps ensure we keep offering our visitors the selection of unique tourism products and services they seek.”

To this end, SATSA has been active in similar initiatives such as the Limpopo High Flyers’ Programme which it piloted along with Limpopo Tourism.

The Programme identified thirteen relevant provincial products and assisted them with their tourism and marketing development needs to ensure a successful introduction to a large and established trade.

To interview David Frost, please contact Natalia Rosa on 083 449 4334 or email: natalia@bigambitions.co.za. To interview Sthembiso Dlamini please contact Altaaf Kazi on 082 553 9595 or email altaaf@southafrica.net .

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About SATSA

The Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) is a member-driven association that offers inbound tourism services companies the highest level of quality in the tourism industry.

At SATSA, we strive to maintain our three key qualities in all of the work we do: credibility, value and authority.

As an organisation, our members undergo a strict admission process that ensures peace of mind for those who seek to do business with credible tourism partners. SATSA members are required to sign a strict Code of Conduct and are required to submit updated documentation annually.

SATSA further provides support to members who require key services and benefits on a local and regional level, and at international trade shows. The organisation also lobbies issues associated and affecting the inbound tourism industry.

About South African Tourism

South African Tourism Agency is the national tourism agency responsible for the marketing of South Africa as a preferred tourist destination. Website: www.southafrica.net

Issued by Big Ambitions:

TARYN NIGHTINGALE

taryn@bigambitions.co.za

074 352 9303