Tourism associations join forces to host industry conference

Five tourism sector associations have joined forces with the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) to host an industry conference in September.

They are the Association of South African Travel Agents (Asata), the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa), the National Accommodation Association of South Africa (NAA-SA), the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (Savrala) and the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA).

Says TBCSA CEO, Mmatšatši Marobe: “The main aim of hosting a joint industry conference is to reduce the level of proliferation of conferences within the sector.”

Marobe adds that by hosting one conference it is hoped a central platform will be created where members can address industry specific issues, as well as the challenges that have an impact on the entire sector.

Michael Tatalias, CEO of SATSA says the conference will be hosted in the interests of the sector and will save many people valuable time and money. “As matters stand, all tourism associations host member-based conferences on an annual basis. These conferences usually attract the same delegates and tend to tackle the same macro-economic issues.”

It is envisioned that the conference will comprise two-and-a-half days of exhibitions, networking and conference events with an expanded programme allowing for delegate interaction. The date and the venue for the conference are still to be confirmed.