The 2019 National Tourism Education Conference in Kimberley

The inaugural National Tourism Education Conference (a first for South Africa) was  attended by 300 Tourism Teachers and 100 guests and can be considered a HUGE success.

The 4-day conference was held from 25 to 28 June 2019 during the school holidays in Kimberley due to the city’s central location in the country. The conference  helped to develop much-needed Tourism expertise and build capacity within the education system. This in turn will result in better prepared young people leaving school with a much better chance of success in the higher education system or alternatively in the transition from school into the tourism industry.

Thank you to everyone who partnered with GTTP-SA to make this conference a huge success.

Why was there a need for the National Tourism Education Conference? 
Tourism is one of the key economic drivers in South Africa and major role players globally are focusing on Africa, and South Africa in particular for expanding their products and services. Tourism is the vehicle for social and economic growth in South Africa and one in every five jobs are created by tourism.

The question…
Can the education system (schools that offer Tourism and Hospitality Studies as a grade 12 subject) supply a competent, skilled workforce who are digitally literate, inventive thinkers and effective communicators who can deliver high levels of productivity?

The direction…
Pro-active action was necessary and it had to start with capacitating Tourism teachers in order to produce the skilled, competent workforce South Africa’s tourism industry needs. The Global Travel and Tourism Partnership South Africa (GTTP-SA), in collaboration with private sector funders and government, hosted the first ever National Tourism Education Conference (NTEC) in Kimberley. The rationale for the conference was to capacitate 300 teachers from across South Africa to deliver the Tourism curriculum more successfully in the classroom. The conference focussed on four aspects, namely content training, quality assessment, IT skills development and interaction with industry. Teachers also receive certificates of participation that contributed to their annual CPTD score. (Education’s Personal Development Programme).

Elsabé Engelbrecht:  National Director: GTTP-SA and Conference Director

Kevin Kruger:  Deputy Conference Director