The annual Lilizela Tourism Awards honours excellence in South Africa’s tourism and hospitality industry. This year’s winners have been recently been announced.
Lilizela Tourism Awards: 2019 ceremony
These awards celebrate and inspire greatness by achieving superlative standards of service. The awards cover a cross-section of tourism including accomodation, experiences, tour operators, tour guides and emerging entrepreneurs.
The 2019 Lilizela Award Ceremony / Image supplied
Tourism Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane paid special tribute to the country’s outstanding tourism businesses. These include some beneficiaries of the National Department of Tourism’s market access and enterprise development programmes.
“Thank you to the men and women who, in their area of work, go the extra mile to ensure that tourists that travel to our country enjoy a memorable experience.
Providing real authentic experiences to tourists is what will sustain and grow our tourism sector. All of us should do this cognisant of the fact that tourists have no obligation to choose South Africa as a tourist destination,” she said.
“Tourism is a very competitive sector and demands from all of us to offer tourists a distinct, authentically South African and memorable experience so that they can return to our country again and again, or even better entice others to come along with them in their subsequent visits.
As we cast our eyes into the future, we must continue to ensure that we transform our sector inclusively and to showcase more authentic and uniquely South African experiences,” she said.
Sibongile Khumalo and The Ndlovu Youth Choir performed at the awards ceremony. Sustainability Village showcased locally inspired and crafted arts and crafts, which lends itself to the government’s efforts to promote sustainable tourism and youth employment. Guests toured this village space for selected black-owned businesses to market their products.
The awards
River Place Manor awarded with the Guest House Service Exellence Award / Image supplied
The Lilizela Tourism Awards was established in 2013 as a National Department of Tourism initiative, spearheaded by South African Tourism. These awards recognise and reward excellence in the local tourism industry and are adjudicated through a combination of public votes and a panel of industry judges and are audited by Nexia SAB&T.
In an effort to recognise the wider tourism industry, nine new award sub-categories have been introduced. These include an in-hotel conference centre, events venue, function venue, conference centre, convention & exhibition centre, meetings, exhibitions and special events, apartment hotel, boutique hotel, small hotel.
Bheki Dube of Curiosity Backpackers was awarded the prestigious “I Do Tourism” award. Introduced in 2018, this award recognises proudly South African organisations or individuals who, through sheer dedication and passion, have excelled in positioning the country as a tourism destination of choice, contributing to the vibrancy and growth of the sector.
Entry to the Lilizela National Tourism Awards is free. Tourism businesses of all sizes are encouraged to enter, across a range of accomodation establishments, tourism operators, scenic attractions and cultural heritage sites.
The 2019 Lilizela Tourism award winners
These awards help to develop, grow and transform the industry while celebrating its achievements.
66 awards across eight categories were awarded.
Tour Operator: Earthstompers Adventures (Western Cape)
Accomodation Mobility: Soli Deo Gloria (Western Cape)
Experience Mobility: Cape Town International Convention Centre Company (Western Cape)
The 2019 Lilizela Award Ceremony / Image supplied
River Place Manor awarded with the Guest House Service Exellence Award / Image supplied
