SA Honours Tour Specialists In Ghana

South African Tourism (SAT) last Friday presented special awards to some deserving persons in Ghana's travel industry for their commitment towards tourism in Africa.

The ceremony was part of activities by SAT to encourage and garner attention for tourism on the African continent and South African tourism in particular.  Awardees, numbering about 21, took South Africa Specialist courses online to also merit the award.

Each of them picked certificates while some of them who won raffles at the Friday event will also enjoy an additional fully paid trip to South Africa to tour some of SA's major tourism sites for ten (10) days.

The award ceremony was held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra amidst partying and interesting saxophone performances.

In attendance were a number of personalities from both Ghana and South African tour and travel industries including officials from Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA).

Speaking at the ceremony was SAT's West African Regional Manager, Hloni Pitso, who commended the recipients for their recognitions.

He also applauded Ghana's contribution to South African tourism, indicating that Ghana's arrivals in South Africa had increased greatly. It recorded 22,953 arrivals from Ghana in 2012 and 27,375 in 2013, with a growth rate of 19.3%.

He used the platform to announce its partnership with TOUGHA, spelling out its benefits to both countries.

'It is important to work closely with the trade union that governs and regulates the tourism industry to ensure that we are dealing with operators that conform to the industry's best practices.

SAT training will form part of TOUGHA's training schedules. This ensures that we train and equip trade with the necessary skills to effectively sell South Africa. Part of the training includes Trade Workshops and Seminars, Tour consultant's familiarisation trips to SA, SA Specialist Online course. We will also establish and maintain relations between South African Tourism product and Ghana trade. We will support TOUGHA members and its tourism events.'