South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, has officially gazetted amendments to the National Grading System, which awards stars to accommodation facilities. The changes rule for accommodation facilities across the country to be star graded in accordance with a system monitored by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA).
The TGCSA amends its regulations every three years in an effort to keep South Africa in line with international benchmarks and to remain relevant within its sector.
Speaking to Tourism Update, Chief Quality Assurance Officer of the TGSCA, Darryl Erasmus, said that new amendments include:
– Two new categories being added to the grading system – the Apartment Hotels and Small Hotels category and the Five-Star Premium category Erasmus claims will be a “game changer”. This brings the total number of categories in the system from 11 to 13
– The opportunity for facilities to receive an accolade within their specific niche market, be it family accommodation and pet-friendly venues, wine tourism, birding, golfing, 4×4, wellness, or wedding venues
– The addition of the Responsible Tourism accolade, which takes into account the South African National Standards (SANS) 1162 criteria for responsible tourism
– A move away from the term “MICE” (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), towards the term “Venues”, within the amendments.
“The TGCSA will only be implementing the amendments in April 2019 to give the industry time to understand and adjust to the requirements,” says Erasmus. “We will be embarking on a nationwide roadshow over February and March 2019 to explain the changes, so that the industry understands exactly what they are, and has sufficient time to make the necessary adjustments in order to comply.”
“The amendments have been made with the aim of streamlining the grading criteria and process … moving away from a system that was … somewhat tedious, with much duplication,” he added. “We would like to thank the industry for its input and support throughout this process. The amended criteria are globally compliant and relative to our country and its quality standards. This grading system was developed with input from the industry and belongs to the industry.”
“The aim of the TGCSA is to establish and maintain a recognisable and credible globally-benchmarked system of quality assurance for accommodation and MESE (Meetings, Exhibitions and Special Events) experiences in South Africa,” Hanekom said.
