The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has calculated that last year, the direct contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the South African economy was worth R127,9bn, accounting for 3% of the country’s GDP.
Commenting on the WTTC findings presented in its recent 2017 Economic Impact Report, Margi Biggs, convenor of the upcoming The Business of Food and Wine Tourism Conference, set to take place in Stellenbosch in the spring, said: “The good news is that the council has projected the sector’s contribution to domestic GDP will rise by 2,7% in 2017, a very welcome increase given the subdued state of our local economy.”
A seasoned travel and tourism specialist, Biggs contends that travel and tourism can contribute still further to national GDP, “provided we as an industry take note of new trends in consumer spending, behaviour and priorities to make our food and tourism offerings more compelling and more competitive, while upping the standard of our execution and service delivery.”
“If we get it right, the impact will be substantial. It will help to build skills, create economic opportunities and reduce unemployment, generating greater prosperity for more South Africans. We have all the right ingredients: beautiful locations, a growing reputation for world-class food and wines, and friendly and welcoming hospitality staff. We just have to finesse what we are doing with the technology and research we now have at our disposal, while applying new thinking to marketing and problem-solving.”
She said the annual conference, now in its second year, would be presented by a selection of international and local tourism specialists and would focus on best practice and how to improve the customer experience. An important feature of the forum would be the various ways in which wine and food impact customer loyalty. “There is a growing view internationally that customer experience will ultimately drive more loyalty than complicated point-based programmes and schemes. We need to take note.”
Amongst this year’s keynote speakers is CEO of SA Tourism, Sisa Ntshona. His address will explore how the food and wine experience can promote South Africa’s competitive advantage as a tourist destination. Included in the line-up of international speakers are Don Shindle, an expert in customer service and GM of the Westin Verasa Napa in California’s renowned wine tourism epicentre; and world-renowned TV personality, Andrea Robinson, one of only 23 female master sommeliers in the world. Dr Robin Back, a South African-born, US-based academic who conducts wine tourism research in both South Africa and the US will be looking specifically at the impact on loyalty of cellar door visits. The programme will also cover such topics as virtual reality, attracting new markets, and PR trouble shooting.
The conference takes place at Spier on Wednesday, 20 September.
Go to http://wineandfood.co.za/programme-2016/ to view the full programme.
For more information on the conference, or to register online, visit www.wineandfood.co.za.
Early Bird registration is now open at a fee of R2 950 (excl. VAT) per delegate, and ends on 12 June. This standard cost per delegate is R3 950 (excl. VAT), and ends on 18 August. If you register and pay after 18 August, the cost rises to R4 500 (excl. VAT) per person.
Social media:
Twitter and Facebook: @winefoodconf
Note to the editor:
The WTTC’s Economic Impact Report 2017 (http://bit.ly/2pWINwN) reflects the economic impact of the global travel and tourism industry, with 25 regions and 185 countries included in the survey.
Fin24.com (http://www.fin24.com/Economy/tourism-supports-1-in-10-jobs-20170416) reports that “according to the research, travel and tourism grew by 3.3% in 2016, generating $7.6trn worldwide, which is 10.2% of global gross domestic product (GDP) when the direct, indirect and induced impacts are taken into account. The sector supported a total of 292 million jobs in 2016, which is 1 in 10 of all jobs in the world. Additionally, global visitor exports, which is money spent by foreign visitors, accounted for 6.6% of total world exports, and almost 30% of total world services exports.”
DATE 9 MAY 2017
ISSUED BY AUGUST COLLECTIVE
FOR THE BUSINESS OF WINE AND FOOD TOURISM CONFERENCE
QUERIES MARGI BIGGS, SPECIALIZED TOURS & EVENTS, 021 433 1314 or 082 770 1440
MARLISE POTGIETER/JANI-MARI SWART, AUGUST COLLECTIVE, 072 562 5307 or marlise@augustcollective.co.za or jani-mari@augustcollective.co.za
Hoëresolusie-foto’s is beskikbaar op aanvraag.
KONFERENSIE OOR KOS EN WYN SAL WYS HOE OM LOJALITEIT EN INKOMSTE VIR KAAPSE TOERISME TE VERGROOT
Die World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) het bereken dat die direkte bydrae van die reis- en toerismesektor tot die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie verlede jaar R127,9 biljoen beloop het, wat 3% van die land se BBP was.
Margi Biggs, sameroeper van die The Business of Food and Wine Tourism Conference wat in die lente op Stellenbosch aangebied word, het in haar kommentaar op die WTTC se bevindings in sy mees onlangse ekonomiese impakverslag gesê: “Die goeie nuus is dat die WTTC voorspel dat die sektor se bydrae tot die BBP met 2,7% in 2017 sal toeneem, ’n baie welkome toename gegewe die traagheid in die plaaslike ekonomie.”
Biggs, ’n gesoute reis- en toerismespesialis, meen dat reis en toerisme selfs nog meer tot die nasionale BBP kan bydra “op voorwaarde dat ons as ’n bedryf kenis neem van nuwe neigings in verbruikersbesteding, -gedrag en -voorkeure om ons toerisme-aanbiedings meer aanloklik en mededingend te maak terwyl ons tegelykertyd die standaard van ons werkverrigting en dienslewering verhoog.
“As ons dit regkry, sal die impak aansienlik wees. Dit sal help om vaardighede uit te bou, ekonomiese geleenthede te skep en werkloosheid te verminder, en sodoende groter welvaart vir meer Suid-Afrikaners bewerkstellig. Ons het al die regte bestanddele: pragtige natuurskoon, ’n groeiende reputasie vir kos en wyn van wêreldgehalte, en vriendelike en verwelkomende gasvryheidspersoneel. Ons moet net dit wat ons doen verder verfyn met die tegnologie en navorsing tot ons beskikking, terwyl ons nuwe denke moet toepas in bemarking en probleemoplossing.”
Sy sê die jaarlikse konferensie, wat nou in sy tweede jaar is, sal aangebied word deur ’n keur van internasionale en plaaslike toerismekenners, en sal fokus op die beste praktyke en hoe om die kliënt se ervaring te verbeter. ’n Belangrike kenmerk van die forum sal die verskeie maniere wees hoe kos en wyn die verbruiker se lojaliteit beïnvloed. “Daar is ’n toenemende mening internasionaal dat kliënte se ervarings uiteindelik meer lojaliteit sal beïnvloed as gekompliseerde punte-programme en -skemas. Ons moet hiervan kennis neem.”
Onder vanjaar se hoofsprekers is die HUB van SA Toerisme, Sisa Ntshona. Hy sal praat oor hoe die kos- en wyn-ervaring Suid-Afrika se mededingende voordeel as ’n toerismebestemming kan bevorder. Die internasionale sprekers sluit Don Shindle, ’n kenner op die gebied van kliëntediens en hoofbestuurder van die Westin Verasa Napa in Kalifornië se bekende wyntoerisme-episentrum, in, asook die wêreldbekende TV-persoonlikheid, Andrea Robinson, een van slegs 23 vroulike meestersommeliers ter wêreld. Dr. Robin Back, ’n Suid-Afrikaans gebore akademikus wat nou in Amerika gesetel is en wyntoerismenavorsing in sowel Suid-Afrika as Amerika doen, sal in die besonder kyk na die impak van kelderbesoeke op lojaliteit. Die program sal ook onderwerpe soos virtuele werklikheid dek, asook hoe om nuwe markte te ontgin en die oplos van kommunikasieprobleme.
Die konferensie vind op Woensdag, 20 September, op Spier plaas. Gaan na http://wineandfood.co.za/programme-2016/ vir die volledige program. Vir meer inligting of om aanlyn te registreer, gaan na www.wineandfood.co.za.
Vroeë registrasie kan reeds gedoen word en kos R2 950 (uitsl. BTW) per afgevaardigde, en sluit 12 Junie. Die standaard-koste per afgevaardigde is R3 950 (uitsl. BTW) en sluit 18 Augustus. Indien na 18 Augustus geregistreer word, is die koste R4 500 (uitsl. BTW) per persoon.
Sosiale media:
Twitter en Facebook: @winefoodconf
Vir die redakteur se aandag:
Die WTTC se ekonomiese impakverslag vir 2017 (http://bit.ly/2pWINwN) reflekteer die ekonomiese impak van die globale reis- en toerismebedryf. Altesaam 25 streke en 185 lande is in die verslag ingesluit.
Fin24.com (http://www.fin24.com/Economy/tourism-supports-1-in-10-jobs-20170416) berig dat “volgens die verslag het reis en toerisme met 3,3% gegroei in 2016 en wêreldwyd $7.6trn gegenereer, wat 10,2% van die globale bruto binnelandse produk (BBP) is wanneer die direkte, indirekte en afgeleide impak in ag geneem word. Die sektor het altesaam 292 miljoen werksgeleenthede geskep, wat 1 uit elke 10 werkgeleenthede ter wêreld verteenwoordig. Hierbenewens het sogenaamde ‘globale besoekeruitvoere’, geld wat deur buitelandse besoekers bestee word, altesaam 6,6% van die totale wêrelduitvoere verteenwoordig en byna 30% van die uitvoer van die wêreld se dienste”.
DATUM 9 MEI 2017
UITGEREIK DEUR AUGUST COLLECTIVE
NAMENS THE BUSINESS OF WINE AND FOOD TOURISM CONFERENCE
NAVRAE MARGI BIGGS, SPECIALIZED TOURS & EVENTS, 021 433 1314 of 082 770 1440
MARLISE POTGIETER/JANI-MARI SWART, AUGUST COLLECTIVE, 072 562 5307 of marlise@augustcollective.co.za or jani-mari@augustcollective.co.za