"The first annual Lilizela-Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism were held last night (12 September) in Pretoria. Driving the new awards programme is the National Department of Tourism and the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa). Some 49 big and small establishments received awards in first, second and third place, across eight categories, located across South Africa as well as Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This year saw the incorporation of the Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism, which have been in the custodianship of Fedhasa since its inception in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, into the new National Department of Tourism’s Lilizela Awards, designed to inspire excellence in the tourism industry, to form the Lilizela-Imvelo Awards. Caleb Mabaso, Fedhasa’s head of strategic projects, comments: “Every year the quality and intensity of the entries gets higher and higher – and this year also saw a record number of 406 category entries from 148 establishments – which is an indication that industry is embracing the Lilizela-Imvelo Awards as the premier benchmark of best practices in sustainable tourism. We were amazed and impressed at how much effort the entrants put into telling us their stories and we believe that this is because the industry is recognising the significant value that being a finalist in these awards brings to their businesses.” Mabaso says the creation of big and small sub-categories has enhanced the credibility of the awards: “There will always be a perceived bias towards big business because there is a greater likelihood of bigger budgets being allocated towards sustainable tourism. This should take no credit away from large establishments as there are many of the same size and budget who choose not to embrace sustainable tourism. However, an institution without access to big budgets but whose heart is in the right place with regard to sustainable tourism should be competing against establishments of a similar circumstance. The creation of categories that allow entrants to compete against like-sized businesses sends the message that, large or small, there will be no discrimination.” The panel of judges was selected for its credibility and independence. Eddy Khosa, chairman of Fedhasa, explains: “Fedhasa made a conscious decision that the judges for the Lilizela-Imvelo Awards should be an independent body. We appointed an independent ‘chief justice’ in the form of Lorraine Jenks and gave her the power to look at the judging process and to give input. The experts that were brought onto the panel had no vested interest in the outcome and the judging process proved to be very robust. Criteria were laid out and the same template was used by the 12 judges to assess the entries. Their role was to review best practice in the tourism industry and they did so with unwavering professionalism and lack of bias.” Jenks is from Hotelstuff/Greenstuff and says that watching the judges debating and defending their selections for hours was proof of the high calibre of entries this year. Winners are as follows: Most Empowered Tourism Business This category represents the processes of transformation that establishments undergo to create a more competitive industry, embracing previously marginalised participants. Entrants needed to demonstrate their contribution to issues of empowerment and also to a globally competitive, demographically representative tourism industry. - Big: Garden Court Hatfield in Pretoria (pictured above); with Zambezi Queen on the great Chobe River coming in second; and Red Carnation Hotel Collection from the Western Cape in third place. - Small: Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Central. Best Overall Environmental Management System - Big: first prize was shared by Leriba Hotel & Spa of Gauteng and the Cape Town International Convention Centre; second prize was shared by Sandton Sun and Intercontinental Johannesburg Sandton Towers; and third place went to Protea Hotel Umhlanga Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal. - Small: first prize went to T&T Bed & Breakfast in Durban’s Westville in KwaZulu-Natal; second prize went to La Fontaine Guest House in the Western Cape; and third prize to Garden Court Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal. Best Social Involvement Programme - Big: in first place was Turtle Bay Beach Club of Kenya; second place went to Sun International Zambia; and third place to Umngazi River Bungalows & Spa in the Eastern Cape. - Small: the winner was shared between Gorges Lodge and Bomani Tented Lodge, both in Zimbabwe; second place went to Prana Lodge Private Beach Estate and Spa in the Eastern Cape; and third place went to The Angel’s Place Boutique Hotel in Gauteng. Best Practice – Economic Impact - Big: Riverside Sun Resort in Gauteng; with Sun International Zambia coming in second; and Zambezi Queen coming in third. Special judges recommendations were awarded to Platter Golf in the Western Cape and Garden Court South Beach in KwaZulu-Natal. - Small: in first place was Georges Lodge; Makgabeng Farm Lodge in Limpopo came in second; and Rivera on Vaal Hotel and Country Club in Gauteng came in third. Best Single Resource Management Programme – Water Big: first prize went to the V&A Waterfront in the Western Cape; second prize went to ATKV Natalia in KwaZulu-Natal; and third prize went to Riverside Sun Resort in Gauteng. Small: First prize went to Mosetlha Bush Camp & Eco Lodge in Gauteng; second prize went to Tshulu Trust in Limpopo; and third prize went to Southern Sun Bloemfontein in the Free State. Best Single Resource Management Programme – Energy Big: first prize went to the V&A Waterfront; with Emperors Palace Casino in Gauteng coming in second; and Courtyard Hotel Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape coming in third. Small: First place went to Three Trees At Spioenkop in KwaZulu-Natal; Southern Sun Bloemfontein came second; and Southern Sun Newlands in Western Cape came third. Best Single Resource Management Programme – Waste - Big: the winner was CSIR International Convention Centre in Gauteng; with V&A Waterfront coming in second; and Hilton Cape Town City Centre in the Western Cape coming in third. - Small: the winner was Edge of Africa in the Eastern Cape; in second place was Nirabritz Nature Guide & Tours in the Western Cape; and in third place was Midlands Saddle & Trout Resort Share Block in KwaZulu-Natal. Investing in People Entrants to this category needed to provide evidence of best practice training, education and development of individuals in tourism to show the practical steps taken to develop the people in their businesses. - Big: the winner was Garden Court Hatfield; with Magalies Park in North West in second place; and Riverside Sun Resort in third place. - Small: the winner was Garden Court Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal; second place went to Garden Court Polokwane in Limpopo; and third place to Garden Court Eastgate in Gauteng. Mabaso says the Lilizela-Imvelo awards are adding significant value to tourism businesses: “Travelling decisions are made on the basis of many sensible considerations – among which are best practices. Sustainable tourism has become very much a business issue and we are finding that travellers are becoming increasingly discerning and they want to know that tourism businesses are doing good things. International travellers are sophisticated travellers and one of the competitive advantages a tourism business can showcase is the fact that they have adopted responsible tourism practices.” The judging panel was headed up by Lorraine Jenks, a consultant in the environmental and conservation tourism industry. Other panellists included: - Allison MacDonald, global account director with Ireland-Davenport - Erwin van der Weerd, CEO of Perfect Places - Jeunesse Park of Food and Trees for Africa - Kinesh Chetty, CEO of Greener Future - Rosy Mogotsi, deputy director of Domestic Tourism with the Department of Tourism - Busisiwe Tshabalala of the Department of Water Affairs - Sibusiso Tshabalala, acting manager for Residential Municipality Sector & Integrated Demand Management Department at Eskom - Christine Engelbrecht, head of Tourism Strategic Business Units with the IDC - Paula Bester, manager of Finance and Administration with TEP - Faith Zwane, Tourism and Travel Services Chamber coordinator with Cathsseta - Steven Zwane, head of Africa Employability Programme at Absa - Tshidi Mkhosana, GM of Fedhasa Inland. Fedhasa’s key partners in the Lilizela-Imvelo Awards include the National Department of Tourism, Eskom, Department of Water Affairs, Absa and the Industrial Development Corporation. Khosa congratulated the winners, saying, “You are indeed worthy recipients of these awards, having been through a rigorous independently-adjudicated judging process. To the many finalists whose entries did not win an award, I would like to assure you that your establishments are nonetheless exceptional examples of sustainable tourism in action. We thank you for your efforts and urge you to take advantage of the new opportunities we will be launching to become involved in the Imvelo programme through the provincial entries.” The minister of tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said in his speech to the tourism industry at the awards function: “The Lilizela Tourism Awards were created to honour the outstanding contributions of tourism establishments and individuals who are driving innovation and delivering quality service and products. All of the winners – provincially and nationally – have not only set the standard for global excellence, but they have also demonstrated why our country continues to be one of the most frequently visited by tourists from all over the world,” says Minister of Tourism, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk. “Our visitors from abroad as well as our local travellers have had fantastic experiences, and this is reflected in the Service Excellence category where visitors were encouraged to vote. In addition, the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa’s star grading is working to ensure that our accommodation establishments are on par with global offerings – all contributing to phenomenal traveller experiences. “I am incredibly proud to be part of an industry that has such high standards and impeccable service excellence records. Over the last few months, we have been privy to some exceptional entries all of which show the level of detail establishment owners go to ensure visitor experience is comfortable and reliable. This is what sets our country and its offerings apart from the rest of the world.” More than 1000 submissions were received across all but two of the categories, that being ETEYA and the Minister’s Awards. The latter is a new addition and was introduced specifically for the inaugural launch while the ETEYA finalists were announced earlier during the year at Indaba in Durban in May. The Minister’s Award is made at the sole discretion of the Minister of Tourism. It seeks to honour recipients who have made a noteworthy local and global contribution to tourism economically and socially. The award was presented to Jabu Mabuza for his exceptional contribution to the tourism sector. Mabuza has played a leadership role in Tsogo Sun, which he has helped to build into one of the top gaming and hotel groups in the world, interalia as chief executive officer (CEO) and, today, as deputy chairperson of the board. He was appointed to lead the SA Tourism Board in 2003, contributing his wealth of private-sector experience, strengthening and enhancing the partnership between government and industry in order to deliver on the tourism promise. He helped to grow this industry into a major contributor to economic growth and employment, and always did so in a wise, dignified and level-headed way. He lead the organisation through the tough times of the 2008/9 financial crisis, and during the victorious delivery of the best FIFA World Cup ever, in 2010. He is also well respected as chairperson of Telkom, in which role the media have dubbed him “Mr Fixit”; as president of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), from which base he continues to engage with government on the collective implementation of the National Development Plan; as trustee of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the list goes on. On the international stage, he continues to play a leading role as South African representative on the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) board. For the full list of winners, the national finalists and additional information go to lilizela.co.za. (Information issued on behalf of Fedhasa by Angelfish PR and Events, Strategic Public Relations and the National Department of Tourism, with input from Susan Reynard.) - See more at: hotelandrestaurant.co.za/tourism/recognition-for-responsible-tourism/#sthash.3xIkGHLF.YyckfhuG.dpuf"
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 18:16:09 +0000
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