Inaugural SA Travel & Tourism Summit set for October

Billed as an industry first, TBCSA is this year collaborating its annual South African Travel & Tourism Industry Conference (SATTIC) with the biennial Gauteng Tourism Summit to create the "definitive national platform" for debate and dialogue right across the value chain of the tourism economy.

Given the significance of the tourism sector's contribution into the national GDP (R84.3-billion) in 2011 recording a 5% increase and its contribution to employment which has increased in the same year by 31,000 direct jobs to 598,432 direct jobs in total, "THE SUMMIT" will provide a much needed platform to consolidate these gains and improve our competitiveness towards growing South Africa's Travel and Tourism economy.

Excited by the buoyant tourism mood in the country and speaking during the announcement, TBCSA CEO, Mmatšatši Ramawela, and Gauteng Tourism CEO, Dawn Robertson, commented that "THE SUMMIT will be a vital platform to enable a meeting of minds across the entire tourism value chain".

Both agree that the conference was vital in order to emphasise the real value of the traveller and to achieve the objectives of the National Tourism Sector Strategy.

"We would encourage all key travel and tourism thought leaders, commentators and decision makers to earmark the 14th and 15th of October 2013 in their diaries and join us in reflecting on what is holding us back and how we can build on the more than 10.2% international tourist arrival growth recorded in 2012".

Value of the traveller

The TBCSA's point of departure on industry conferences has always been to ensure that matters of common interest are discussed within one broad industry platform. This is a principle which resonates well with Gauteng Tourism who not only saw the collaboration as an opportune moment to enhance its relationship with the private sector but also an opportunity to ensure alignment of its strategies to national priorities for enhancing the traveller experience within the Province.

Organised under the theme "Value of the traveller" THE SUMMIT is expected to emphasise the need to appreciate the value and contribution of the traveller in growing the tourism economy and creating decent and sustainable jobs. Barriers to travel and the question of how visitable destination South Africa is will be a focus of some of the tracks organised during the two-day conference.

Amongst those billed to address THE SUMMIT are leading trends commentator and CEO of Fluxtrend Dion Chang, Chris Buckingham Director of Go/To.P.L from Melbourne in Australia, Eric Xayiya, Gauteng MEC for Economic Development and Thulani Nzima CEO of South African Tourism.

For more, go to www.sasummit.net