The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has announced four of the pre-eminent names that will make up a heavyweight line-up of keynote speakers and panellists for its annual Tourism Leadership Conference, being held in Sun City from September 6-8.
The speakers confirmed so far include South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, UNWTO Regional Department for Africa Director, Elcia Grandcourt, Special Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary General, Anita Mendiratta, and Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke.
“I’m looking forward to engaging with stakeholders across the tourism value chain on issues such as safety, destination marketing and growing the number of international arrivals and domestic tourism in South Africa. Conferences such as these allow us to map the road forward and showcase to the country why tourism matters,” said De Lille.
The conference will be held during tourism month, under the theme ‘Tourism – The Engine of Growth’.
“Building back better is not enough: we need to build forward better and make sure we are all committed to inclusivity, connectivity, unlocking opportunity and sustainability that is economic, social, cultural and environmental. I am very excited to be with you all to have the conversations that don’t focus on the why, but the how, when, who and how much,” Mendiratta added.
This year’s gathering will be an open forum of discussion on the opportunities and challenges facing the tourism sector. It will see key industry players and policymakers under one roof, reflecting and deliberating about how to ‘make tourism matter’.
Some of the topics that will be discussed at the conference include:
- Travel and Tourism Industry Global and Domestic Outlook
- Tourism Recovery and Growth
- Destination Marketing – International, Domestic, and Regional
- Sustainable Tourism – Protecting what matters
- Tourism Leadership Masterclass
- How tourism should support domestic businesses by buying local
- Investment and opportunities in tourism
