Mokoena Urges Tourism Product Owners to Register Their Product with the South Africa Garding Council

In an effort to be in line with Brand South Africa Products, the Department and Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) has urged tourism product owners to register their businesses with the South Africa Grading Council, during the annual roadshow of the Grading Council of South Africa in White River.

Addressing the tourism product owners in White River, MEC Mokoena said,'' As government, through entities such as the South African Tourism and the MTPA, part of promoting domestic tourism will include highlighting the need for South Africans to stay only in a graded establishments where we will be in a position to guarantee quality service excellence .

“It is imperative that owners of accommodation and conference establishments must begin to understand the importance of having establishments graded, in order to not only be in line with Brand South Africa, but also to play a role in contributing to our country’s global competiveness through the quality and professionalism of your establishment,'' said MEC Norman Mokoena.

According to the Chief Quality Assurance Officer of the Tourism Grading Council, Thembi Kune, in Mpumalanga, out of a total of 1310 establishments, only 324 are graded. On a national level, out of a total of 23,467 establishments, just 6,000 are graded which then tends to paint a bad picture about the status of tourism products which are graded by the South African Grading Council.

“We are calling on all tourism product owners to work with us, so that they will be able to comply with the standard of the South African Grading Council,”

Carol Sanderson a local tourism product owner, said after the road show “I will soon register my product through the Tourism Grading Council so that I will be able to benefit for being a member of Grading Council of South Africa.”