JOHANNESBURG, 29 FEBRUARY 2024 – SATSA, the Voice of Inbound Tourism, welcomes the appointment of the new South African Tourism Board and CEO to give impetus to the organisation in delivering on its mandate of marketing South Africa as a preferred global tourist destination.
This new leadership phase marks a pivotal moment for inbound tourism to South Africa, says SATSA CEO David Frost, whocommended Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille and the former Interim SA Tourism Board chaired by Tim Harris on the appointment process, which has been collaborative and thorough.
Frost further thanked Minister de Lille and the Interim Board for their efforts in laying the groundwork for the unprecedented level of cooperation and dialogue between the private and public sector that has flourished under their stewardship to showcase the very best South Africa has to offer the world.
“We also look forward to working closely with Chairperson Makhosazana Khanyile, new CEO Nombulelo Guliwe and the rest of the skilled board to showcase the immense opportunities for tourism within South Africa. Our mutual goal is to substantially increase visitor numbers, spend and length of stay with a view to realising the Tourism sector’s overall contribution to the country’s economic growth and job creation. With strong leadership and an aligned strategy between private and public sector, we believe this can be achieved,” says Frost.
Among the new board appointees are Ikaneng (Oupa) Ephraim Pilane, also SATSA’s chairperson, and Maija de Rijk-Uys, MD of Go2Africa, a member of SATSA.
“Both Oupa and Maija bring a wealth of experience and insights from the tourism industry to their roles. This will be crucial as private sector works closely with South African Tourism to elevate the country’s profile on the global stage,” Frost adds.
SATSA believes this newly appointed board and CEO, with its diversity and expertise, will take the entity from strength to strength as we grow the tourism industry to become an even greater contributor to South Africa’s GDP and employment.
Reaffirming SATSA’s commitment to working closely with the newly appointed board and CEO, Frost concluded: “This is our chance to implement strategies that will drive sustainable growth, improve the visitor experience, and ensure that the benefits of tourism are widely distributed across our communities. We wish them all the best as they get down to the task ahead.”
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About SATSA
SATSA is the unified voice of the inbound tourism industry in Southern Africa and represents the private sector trade associations in five SADC countries. Our mission is to support the sustainable growth of travel and tourism to and within Southern Africa. For more information, visit satsa.com.
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Celine Patterson
Tel: +27 71 899 3780
