Bay hosts TGCSA as they reach for the stars
29 March 2011
Joining TGCSA top brass at a ceremony at the King Edward Hotel in Port Elizabeth was the Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, who unveiled the new official TGCSA star grading plaque attached to the overhaul and said it was a significant milestone for the organisation on March 22.
“As a tourism industry we are very pleased with this milestone reached by TGCSA. It is an important step in the establishment of an internationally competitive and credible grading system in South Africa,” said van Schalkwyk.
The process of revising the grading system was started in 2008. It was initiated to repair the 2002 grading criteria after inconsistences in the application and management of the service was observed. The inconsistencies were leading to a lack of uniformity in awarding the stars and disgruntled accommodation and MESE (meetings, exhibitions and special events) establishments.
The new system aims to streamline the process and give it more credibility, particularly for international visitors who need a trusted mark of approval.
“Our grading plaques are a symbol of the assurance we provide to tourists, both local and international, that they can rely on star graded establishments when making their choice of accommodation or conferencing establishment. A significant amount of time and energy was spent during this process in fine-tuning the criteria to get them right for the industry. The aim was to not only ensure that South Africa can maintain its international competitiveness as a tourist destination, but indeed to show that we can be world leaders in terms of quality assurance,” said Van Schalkwyk.
The revision of the system aimed “to establish a recognisable and credible globally benchmarked system of quality assurance for accommodation and MESE experiences, which can be relied upon by visitors when making their choice of establishment. This is achieved by literally putting the stars where they belong,” said TGCSA chief quality assurance officer, Thembi Kunene.
The review of grading criteria was one of the key recommendations resulting from a comprehensive examination of the TGCSA by KPMG in August 2008, during which the TGCSA was benchmarked against the British, Australian and New Zealand quality assurance systems.
The overhaul includes significant changes to the old system. Four provincial master assessors have been appointed to review challenges before they get to the national committee. Training and refresher courses are also being implemented for assessors to ensure better compliance. These changes have also been accompanied by technological advancements for the TGCSA and changes to the plaques.
“The new plaques will help protect our brand and put a stop to the illegal use of stars as they are now trademarked,” said Kunene.
The plaques now boast a crucial sentence which gives TGCSA mandate over the plaque and its use, stating that the plaque is the property of the TGCSA. This will allow officials to legally enter a property to remove it, where necessary. Each plaque also features a unique serial number linked to the membership number of the property.
The star grading plaque launch was also accompanied by the concurrent launch of the Universal Accessibility (UA) plaque, which took place at Forest Hill Guest House in Walmer – a universally accessible establishment in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Universal accessibility for those with physical disabilities would tap into new markets in the disability sector, the minister said.
“This is not only about doing what is right, this is also about a very big market (of people) out there – the market of the future. Now they will know what is accessible to them,” added Van Schalkwyk.
Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism chief executive, Mandlakazi Skefile, was at the launch and said the moves would build trust between tourists and establishments wanting to raise their game internationally.
Author: Amy Shelver
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