1. LILIZELA TOURISM AWARDS: EC Prepared for: Provincial Tourism Coordinating Committee Presented by: N. Zondwa

2. Background In 2013, the National Department of Tourism (NDT) led a review of the two tourism awards, namely; Welcome Awards and Service Excellence Awards which were hosted at a national level. These Awards were merged to form Lilizela Tourism Awards. Lilizela Tourism Awards start at a provincial level with categories that support the strategic goals of the National Tourism Sector Strategy.

3. Lilizela Tourism Award aim  Identify and reward emerging businesses in the tourism sector  Enhance job creation through sustainable tourism businesses that are active in the tourism industry  Build capacity to boost productivity

4. 2015 Awards Categories The categories for 2015 have been reviewed and are as follows:- Category 1– Minister’s Award This award recognises outstanding, unique, impactful people, events, organisations that have performed in a manner that urges the industry closer to tourism’s 2020 vision (to grow arrivals to 15 million and create 225 000 new jobs by 2020 with total direct and indirect GDP contribution target from R189, 4 billion in 2009 to R499 billion in 2020).

5. Category 2 - Service Excellence This award recognises how well tourism products are doing in the area of service excellence Accommodation sector which is based on the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa’s (TGCSA) definition of accommodation establishments. Visitor Experience- Scenic Beauty, Roots and Culture, Adventure and Activities, Wildlife, Lifestyle, Beach Experience and Luxury. Tourist Guides- Nature Guides, Adventure Guides and Culture Guides. Tour Operator Awards-Tour Operators who allow tourists to experience the authentic experiences in South Africa, but also ensure that the right safety measurements are taken when transporting tourists.

6. Category 3 – Entrepreneurship The ETEYA Lilizela Awards (Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award) recognises black owned SMME’s who have achieved notable success in operating their businesses Category 4- Sustainable Development Universal Accessibility Award- venues that are accessible for people with disabilities Imvelo Award- Best Social Involvement Programme, Best Practice Economic Impact, Best Overall Environment Management System and Best Resource Programme (Water, Energy and Waist). B-BBEE Award- Exempted Micro Enterprises, Qualifying Small Enterprises as well as Large Enterprises.

7. Lessons Learnt and areas of improvements The following were areas of improvements that were identified during the 2014 Provincial Lilizela Tourism Awards;  Improve demographic representation of tourism businesses entering for the awards  Increase PDI businesses participating in the tourism awards

8. EC: Performance on Lilizela Tourism Awards Year201320142015 Total entries75 230 Including the Imvelo Category 190 Excluding the Imvelo Category: Recently opened, closing 15/08 PDI Participation12140 Provincial Finalists 3075In progress National Finalists1018In progress National Winners39In progress

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