Tourism Grading Council of South Africa Media Release

10 May 2010

Exciting changes to TGCSA underway

Ms Thembi Kunene, Chief Quality Assurance Officer: “The revised grading criteria, will dramatically enhance the credibility of the grading system”

The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) today provided the industry with an update on the much awaited review of the STAR grading criteria and standards at the annual tourism INDABA in Durban.

Kunene said it was enormously encouraging to see more than 200 INDABA delegates attend the Stakeholder Breakfast event in Durban. “We have all collectively invested a significant amount of time and energy in fine-tuning the criteria to get them right for this industry so that South Africa can maintain its international competitiveness as a tourist destination.”

The existing grading criteria were originally introduced in 2002, and were used to promote the grading system which currently has in excess of 8 000 accommodation establishments across South Africa.  “Over the years, disparities had entered the grading system and there was a growing lack of uniformity and consistency in the awarding of star grading. This resulted in lack of predictability in the standards and facilities offered by graded establishments in South Africa,” says Kunene.

The review of the Grading Criteria, was one of the key recommendations resulting from a comprehensive review of the TGCSA by KPMG in August 2008 which was benchmarked against the Britain, Australia and New Zealand quality assurance systems.

Kunene says: “The incredible support we received from the major stakeholders, specifically the FEDHASA family of members, other associations (SATSA, BABASA, etc) as well as the current Accredited Grading Assessors is helping us meet the very tight deadlines towards the planned implementation of 1 October 2010.”

Under the sterling leadership of its chair, Mr Clifford Ross, FEDHASA Group Hotels Sub-Committee will be providing the TGCSA with consolidated comments on the Grading Criteria.  Thereafter KPMG will then consolidate all comments received and present the final document to the TGCSA for approval by the Awards Committee Meeting at its June 2010 Meeting.

According to Ms Mmatšatši Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), “the TBCSA has been fully supportive of the Grading Council since its inception. We are pleased to see the progress made in terms of not only the New Grading Criteria of which our members have been vocal in their commentary they provided to the TGCSA, but also the various critical initiatives. We do believe that this will secure South Africa’s competitiveness as a tourist destination.

‘I am thrilled that there was such an exciting level of interest in the proposed Grading Criteria and the 450 individuals who contributed well over 5 000 comments is testament to the fact that the industry is truly committed to quality assurance.’ Kunene concluded.

Ends

Issued by FD Media and Investor Relations on behalf of the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa

For more information contact

Allison MacDonald/Senzi Dlamini
+27 11 214 2400
Allison.macdonald@fd.com

or

Thekiso Rakolojane
Marketing and Communications Manager, TGCSA
+27 11 895 3018
thekiso@tourismgrading.co.za

Visit the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa at www.tourismgrading.co.za