Pretoria – The Department of Tourism has called on outstanding businesses in the tourism industry to submit their entries for the 5th annual Lilizela Tourism Awards which opened on 1 March 2017.
Tourism businesses ranging from accommodation establishments and tourist guides to visitor attractions, may enter the 2017 Lilizela Tourism Awards in a range of categories which will be judged by a panel of industry professionals, as well as by a public vote.
These categories include service excellence, universal accessibility, the Minister’s Award for innovation in tourism, and the Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The provincial awards ceremonies take place in September 2017 culminating in the star-studded national awards function to be held in Johannesburg, in October.
The Lilizela Tourism Awards, which is an initiative of the Department of Tourism, is spearheaded by South African Tourism.
“The criteria for the awards are constantly being refined, through ongoing consultation and feedback surveys, to ensure that hospitality establishments, venues, service providers and tourism attractions meet industry and traveller requirements. Because of the annual review that will follow each awards ceremony, entries will open in March from this year onwards,” said South African Tourism Chief Executive Officer Sisa Ntshona.
Ntshona said South African Tourism’s main objective is to work with the industry in contributing towards inclusive growth while helping to grow new players into the industry. The importance of transforming tourism and its feeder industries cannot be understated.
“South Africa boasts a wealth of tourism jewels in its crown. Through the annual Lilizela Tourism Awards, we hope to showcase these beacons of excellence and motivate them to continue delivering exceptional, authentic, memorable experiences to local and international travellers.
“Hospitality can be a challenging and highly demanding industry, and we want industry players to know that we value their efforts in helping South Africa to grow and diversify our tourism sector,” said Ntshona.
Entries for the 2017 Lilizela Tourism Awards opened on 1 March 2017 and close on 31 May 2017. Visit www.lilizela.co.za for more details, or follow @Lilizela_Awards on Twitter. – SAnews.gov.za
