Cream of the crop to grace prestigious
Lilizela Awards
The stage is set and preparations are in
full force for the provincial Lilizela Tourism Awards which will take place at
a glittering banquet (tonight: October 30, 2019) at Fairmont Zimbali in
Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal.
An initiative of the National Department of
Tourism, spearheaded by South African Tourism and delivered by the Tourism Grading
Council of South Africa, the Lilizela Tourism Awards has grown from strength to
strength since being launched in 2013.
“Lilizela” is an isiZulu word, which means
celebrating and praising by ululating when someone has done well.
South Africa’s premier Travel and Tourism
Awards recognises and rewards tourism players and businesses who pride
themselves in delivering a world-class product and service and whose delivery
grows South Africa’s global destination competitiveness.
Tour operators, lodge owners, tour guides,
game rangers, hotel chains, transport companies, excursion organisers and the
like who epitomise product and service excellence are among the eight
categories of awards.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development,
Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said: “The diversity of
products and memorable experiences offered by KZN to domestic and international
travellers provide compelling reasons for holidaymakers to keep choosing KZN as
their holiday destination of choice.”
The tourism grading incentive introduced by
the Department of Tourism in partnership with the Tourism Grading Council of
South Africa helps tourism products adhere to requirements to ensure quality
assurance and service excellence.
“KZN has all the ingredients, attributes
and infrastructure to deliver holiday experiences comparable with international
standards. The grading system instils consumer confidence in brands and
establishments that are among the award-winning tourism products,” added
Dube-Ncube.
She said KZN remained a popular tourist
destination for local and international travellers and that product owners
should not be complacent in their offerings and service levels.
“Creativity and innovation in the
competitive hospitality industry requires constant reflection on what can be
done better to give consumers a truly unique, unforgettable and value for money
experience.”
In preceding years, KZN emerged amongst the
top provinces in terms of the total number of entries for the high-profile
competition.
This year, the awards attracted 180 entries
from KZN, indicative of the popularity of the Awards and steady growth.
Acting CEO for Tourism KwaZulu-Natal,
Phindile Makwakwa, said: “Celebrating excellence, creativity and innovation in
the dynamic and exciting space of tourism is of paramount importance in raising
the bar of excellence on our home ground and aboard.”
Travel and tourism in South Africa
contributed 1.5 million jobs and R425.8bn to the economy in 2018, representing
8.6% of all economic activity in the country and making South Africa the
largest tourism economy in Africa, according to an annual review by the World
Travel & Tourism Council.
“Tourism is a fast-growing industry, is
ranked among the highest performing sectors of the global economy and is the life-blood
of local economies given its unwavering potential to alleviate the triple
challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” Makwakwa said.
She added the tough prevailing economic
environment was no deterrent given the growing trends of “bleisure” or
combining business with leisure travel; an increasing number of travellers
planning their trips online; people travelling to SA for medical treatment and
a growing number of people who travel as a multi-generational family to spend
more time together.
The winner of each category will receive a
prestigious SA Lilizela Awards trophy and all finalists will receive a
certificate of excellence.
The national competition will be held on
Saturday, November 9, 2019, at Time Square in Pretoria, Gauteng.
To find out more about the exceptional
experiences you can enjoy in KZN, go to www.zulu.org.za
For more information on the Lilizela
Tourism Awards, visit www.lilizela.co.za
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