Mmat'at'i Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), conveners of the conference, maintains that the vision for the awards is to acknowledge the work and achievement of the people within the industry while showcasing their products and services.
Submissions came from across the Southern African region and saw an increase in the numbers of entries in 2009. This year, the award is made up of four categories - Best New Hotel Investment; Tourism Leadership; Excellence in Tourism Reporting; and Mover & Shaker.
• Best New Hotel Investment - Protea Hotel Willow Lake, Bloemfontein; Radisson Blu, Sandton; and Mapungubwe Hotel, Johannesburg CBD.
• Tourism Business Leadership - Kurt Ritter, president and CEO, Rezidor Hotel Group; Arthur Gillis, MD, Protea Hotel Group; and Adrian Gardiner, CEO, Mantis Group
• Mover and Shaker - Andrew McLachlan, vice-president - business development, Rezidor Hotel Group; and Craig Drysdale, GM Charter Division at Springbok Atlas
• Excellence in Tourism Reporting - Kate Els, Now Media
All nominations were subjected to a stringent selection criterion and given that the judging panel was made up of a team of experts from within the tourism and hospitality sectors, nominees did not have it easy. Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions carried out the difficult task of collating, assessing the nominations and facilitating the selection of the finalists and winners.
"We are thankful for the expertise and time of the judges,” continues Marobe. “They are Pieter de Bruin, head of tourism at FNB; Professor Ernie Heath of Pretoria University; Franco Jordaan of Court Classique; Aneme Malan, chief director of tourism development at the National Department of Tourism; Jackie Asheeke, CEO of Namibian Federation of Tourism Associations (FENATA); Ben Rootman and Martin van Niekerk from Junxion Communications.”
To register for the conference log on to www.hica.co.za or contact Zelda Coetzee on +27 (0) 21 762 1442.
