THEBE TOURISM
THEBE TOURISM GROUP
TTG Celebrates SA History with
Unique New Attractions PRODUCTION: David Napier
Thebe Tourism Group is preparing to open two extremely exciting new attractions to help further its reputation as a world-class provider of South African tourism draws. A unique hotel in Kruger National Park and a guest house situated in a former residence of Nelson Mandela are just two of the investments that are helping this booming business grow in 2019. www.enterprise-africa.net / 3
INDUSTRY FOCUS: TRAVEL & TOURISM
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In 1892, work on the Selati Rail line began. Cutting right through the area that is today known as the Kruger National Park, the rail line was intended to connect the rich gold fields in Limpopo’s East, to the port in Maputo (known then as Delagoa Bay). Close to the camp village of Skukuza, the builders of the rail line had to construct a bridge to cross the Sabie River. While construction of the rail line was dogged by corruption and maladministration in its early days, it was eventually completed in 1912 and connected at Komatipoort to the important Eastern Railway Line which brought gold from the Witwatersrand Gold Fields to Delagoa Bay for export. For decades, the Selati Rail line was the only way to get into and out of the Kruger National Park. Tourists would board the train and head into the park, stopping for the night on the Sabie Bridge, hearing stories from
park wardens and feasting, before continuing the following day. The line was active until 1973 before operations were ceased with travellers choosing the more convenient and common car for transport. Today, the Sabie Bridge still stands and is a reminder of the important history in the region. In order to preserve the bridge, and bring some contribution to the local community, the Thebe Tourism Group (TTG) has decided to construct a hotel on the bridge, bringing much-needed activity to the area. Founded in 2001 as a 100%-owned subsidiary of Thebe Investment Corporation, TTG is the oldest black-empowered South African tourism group and has a significant portfolio in tourism and related industries ranging from attractions, hospitality, inbound and outbound tourism, group travel, car rental and business tourism.
KRUGER SHALATI HOTEL In a move which is highly anticipated by South Africa’s thriving tourism industry, TTG is under way with a build programme that will see the Sabie Bridge restored, a strong of permanent stationary train carriages positioned atop it, and the carriages fully fitted out as a hotel. The Eastfacing wall will look over the river and further into Kruger Park, with guests able to view the sun and moon rises from their room. Instead of the usual office-type setting that you might find at a regular hotel reception, the Kruger Shalati Hotel will make use of the existing Kruger Selati station platform for guests to check in and dine. This area will also be accessible for guests staying in adjacent accommodation in Skukuza. “It’s going to be a 32-42 bed hotel with two people for each bed. It is set over one of the most iconic rivers that runs through the Kruger National Park
Africa’s Travel Indaba is going green For a few days every year, the African tourism industry comes together for Africa’s Travel Indaba. Indaba, as the trade show is fondly called, is the event to attend – recognised as the continent’s largest tourism marketing event, and one of the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar. It takes over the entire Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC) and the Durban Exhibition Centre (DEC) attracted 1 747 registered buyers, and over 7 000 visitors and 1 100 exhibitors in 2018. It’s a big event which means it’s likely to have a big environmental impact, so South African Tourism’s (SAT) announcement that they are going to make it a more positive impact through sustainable event management, also known as event greening, has been widely welcomed. Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, Chief Convention Bureau Officer, explains, “South African Tourism recognises the importance of hosting events in a responsible manner and which address the triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity.” This isn’t the first time SAT has implemented event greening at one of its events. With guidance from the Event Greening Forum (EGF), a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable events, SAT has been greening its business tourism show, Meetings Africa. These efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Since 2012, Meetings Africa has won every annual Green Show Award from the Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa (EXSA). The Event Greening Forum Chairperson, Greg McManus, says, “We have been honoured to fulfil an advisory role for Meetings Africa over the years. The SAT team have always been very receptive to our recommendations and to adopting new initiatives, which they have done with great results. We are looking forward to continuing this partnership and success with Africa’s Travel Indaba.”
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This experience bodes well for Indaba, but it is a much larger show. So how will they do it? Kotze-Nhlapo says that the first step was to conduct an assessment of the show; “This year a baseline assessment was done at Indaba 2018 to gain a better understanding of the environmental impact of the event. This information will be used to develop an event greening strategy that can be implemented at future Indaba events.” Grace Stead, a sustainability consultant and founder of Steadfast Greening, was contracted via the EGF to carry out the assessment. One of her favourite expressions is “you cannot manage what you cannot measure”. The data she gathered on Indaba 2018 will be critical to mapping out an effective event greening strategy. However, no one wanted to miss the opportunity to add some event greening practices to Indaba this year. Fortunately, the show organisers and infrastructure providers – Synergy Business Events and Scan Display, respectively – have both worked on Meetings Africa, and were able to draw on their experience to implement the following: An innovative Sustainability Village was created to showcase talented local artisans and SMEs, and their handcrafted goods. All of the items on display were made in South Africa and inspired by local culture and traditions, while some also had a strong sustainability ethos, such as using recycled materials. Instead of traditional gifts, SAT gave gift cards to delegates, allowing them to select their own gifts from this space. This is perhaps the best example of large scale responsible gifting that has been implemented at an event, in terms of it meeting all three criteria of eco-procurement, social upliftment, and avoiding the unnecessary waste of unwanted gifts. Re-usable elements were created for the show. Synergy Business Events’ MD, Tiisetso Tau, says, “During the planning phase of Africa’s Travel Indaba 2018 the team looked at ways in which to incorporate the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) where possible.” By designing re-usable branding and structures rather than single use items for 2018 only, the event waste could be reduced. Justin Hawes, the MD of Scan Display, says, “For the Sustainability Village, we created modular structures out of raw wood and African fabrics. Two thirds of them were re-used from the Meetings Africa show earlier this year, and they will be re-used over the coming years.” He adds that a lot of branding was generic, for example using vibrant African fabrics or brightly coloured vinyl panels without any printing on them. This means it cannot date and is more likely to be used again and again. Special non-scuff vinyl was also purchased to create re-usable floor markers. The executive exhibitor packages also gave exhibitors re-usable fabric prints. Says Tau, “The artwork provided was printed on fabric. Once the show was concluded, exhibitors were able to take these off their stands, roll them up, place them in their suitcase, and use it at any other events they wish to.” A different approach to ‘breakdown’ was adopted by the Scan Display crew. Hawes says, “In the industry we call the dismantling of the show ‘breakdown’. It’s chaotic, as there is very little time to clear the site, and we often have to take down large, complex builds. So, unfortunately, as the name implies, things get broken. As an industry we need to change the way we do this. It should be called deconstruction, or de-rigging. More time should be allowed for it, so more care can be taken to extend the lifespan and re-usability of the building materials.” He adds, “For Indaba 2018, we had a bigger team and longer for the dismantling of the show infrastructure. As a result, we could take everything apart in such a way that it is well maintained for future events.” Of course, this is just the start. Once a clear strategy is put in place for 2019, even greater strides can be made to improve Indaba’s sustainability footprint. Who knows, Africa’s Travel Indaba might be giving Meetings Africa some stiff competition for future green awards. Africa’s Travel Indaba will take place on 2 – 4 May 2019 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC). For more information please visit https://www.indaba-southafrica.co.za/
INDUSTRY FOCUS: TRAVEL & TOURISM
// THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN PERFORMING REALLY WELL FROM A TOURISM POINT OF VIEW. OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE REMAINS THE DOMESTIC IMPACT // – the Sabie River. It’s a train that sits over the bridge and we believe that there isn’t anywhere else in the world where you can wake up and look East, straight into the sun from almost every room in the hotel, with the river running underneath,” TTG CEO Jerry Mabena tells Enterprise Africa. “It will sit 17 metres above the
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river and when the animals come to drink, you can see them straight from your own bed. “We submitted the bid to build the hotel in 2016 and we were awarded the contract. We are now at the point where we are working and finalising some of the finer details of the design elements. “It’s under R100 million in terms of investment but the iconic status of the project is the thing that drives us. We think there is a lot that rides on it and while there are a couple of high-end hotels in the Kruger, there is nothing that matches the status of our project. We think it will create a new energy and a new hype,” he says. Set to welcome first guests at the end of 2019, the Kruger Shalati Hotel is aiming to create a bush atmosphere, similar to the environment that would have greeted guests 100 years ago
when Kruger’s first Warden, James Steven-Hamilton, received tourists on the train. Thebe Investment Corporation CEO, Sizwe Mncwango says that TTG has positioned itself as a tourism business that understands South African and African heritage with an unmatched ability to package aspects of this heritage into tangible tourism products for distribution to the domestic and international tourism markets. TTG Marketing Manager and GM of the Kruger Shalati Hotel, Judiet Barnes says of the train on a bridge project: “Not many people realise that this is where tourism to Kruger started – in the early 1920’s the only way to visit Kruger was by rail; the train would stop in this exact spot. This is likely to become a favourite experience for both international and local tourists.” Also helping to improve the
THEBE TOURISM GROUP
tourism offering across the local region, TTG has acquired 1400 hectares of additional land close to the Sabie, in partnership with a land claimant community, which is being converted into accommodation, agricultural and nature reserve land. “We have a number of things that we are doing in the area - on the tourism side and on the food and agricultural side,” explains Mabena. “There will be a lot of activity that we will be putting into that region beyond the Kruger Shalati, but it will certainly become a flagship being the smallest of all in terms of headcount but the largest in terms of reputation. “We are putting up tourism facilities which includes a boutique hotel along the river, a gateway to the Kruger, and we are looking at putting up a tented hotel (120-150 guests) to create a different type of offering. “The plan is to convert a large portion of that land, which was agriculture, into a nature reserve.” This project, known as the Manela Gateway, holds the vision of
// WE BELIEVE THE COUNTRY’S TOURISM POTENTIAL HAS ONLY JUST BEEN TICKLED, AND BY CREATING PRODUCTS WHICH ENHANCE THE SCENIC BEAUTY AND GLOBAL POLITICAL IMPORTANCE, MORE PEOPLE WILL BE ENTICED TO EXPLORE TOURISM OFFERINGS IN SOUTH AFRICA //
creating an interactive experiential destination in support of Kruger National Park while bringing community ownership of a protected wildlife area to the forefront. DRIVING TOURISM The number of international tourist arrivals in South Africa is set to hit 19.5 million p/a by 2022. The figure has been rising consistently for more than a decade. In 2006, just over 10 million people visited South Africa from abroad, and that figure was up to almost 17 million in 2018. But, while the numbers are impressive, Mabena says stats could be catalysed in a big way if South Africa can muster its domestic tourists to improve their involvement in the country’s tourism industry, even if it is only just slightly. “The bigger picture for us about driving Afropolitan engagement,” he says. “The Afropolitan market is your higher earning, black South Africans who are really rising into new economic structures and are beginning to have disposable income to do many things including travel. We are targeting that market and creating products that talk to that market. From a South African point of view, that is a market that we have not targeted as much as we believe it should be. “The country has been
performing really well from a tourism point of view. Our biggest challenge remains the domestic impact. South African’s travelling locally is a big area of challenge, but a big area of opportunity that we have chosen to focus on. International travellers are looking for major, iconic destinations whereas domestic travellers will look for something different and are happy to travel into the far-reaching areas of the country.” South African tourism has received significant attention, as a sustainable job creating industry, and government has voiced its ambition to rapidly expand the sector so that as many South Africans as possible can participate. In 2018, international travel as a whole showed significant growth – the fastest growth since 2010 – with 1.3 billion people moving around. Africa as a whole was a beneficiary of the growth, with its new single air market and easing of visa regulations strategy making for a more conducing travel climate. Even with challenging economic and political situations across various geographies, and in international economies, TTG is committed to driving the industry for its participants and for South Africa. “We have said to ourselves that we do recognise the challenges in the economy but at Thebe we have a
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: TRAVEL & TOURISM
Jerry Mabena - Thebe Tourism CEO
role to do certain work which is of a developmental nature and to create sustainable economies, particularly in rural areas. We create our own energy in those spaces and we really help the people in those economies. “We are driven by profit with purpose. We don’t just do things to make money. We do things that build the people around us while we make money,” says Mabena. A GROWING CONCERN Creating unique African experiences, and specifically South African experiences, that are memorable, manageable and attractive to domestic visitors and those from around the world is no easy feat. For generations, people have travelled to South Africa for its established natural beauty spots, and TTG recognises the need to both promote and care for these valuable assets. In 2015, TTG purchased the final stake in the Cape Point Concession,
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making it the sole owner famous destination. Located in the Cape of Good Hope, one of Africa’s southernmost tips, Cape Point is close to the region where Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. “Our visitors can be assured of our continued excellence on site. Thebe Tourism Group is eager to improve activities at the site in order to enhance the visitor experience,” said Mabena. “With some of the things we are doing outside of the Kruger, especially in Cape Town, we really are trying to find the opportunities to create worldclass hubs. Right now, we are at the beginning of our journey and happy to be achieving our goals.” Mabena is also excited about the development of the Mandela Presidential Centre in Houghton, Johannesburg. The Centre, which is close to completion, will become a tourist centre with meeting facilities and a boutique hotel, designed to promote reflection.
The décor is reported to be very similar to how the house between 1992 and 1998 when Mandela was active and living in the building. In partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, TTG will develop the
// WE BELIEVE THAT THERE ISN’T ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD WHERE YOU CAN WAKE UP AND LOOK EAST, STRAIGHT INTO THE SUN FROM ALMOST EVERY ROOM IN THE HOTEL, WITH THE RIVER RUNNING UNDERNEATH //
THEBE TOURISM GROUP
nine-bedroom hotel and it is hope that guests will take inspiration from his life. Aimed at the top-end of the market, the centre is expected to attract scholars and diplomatic corps as well as high-end leisure travellers. “Nelson Mandela was a walker and a traveller who made a difference in the lives of those he met and those he travelled with. He had an impact on the places he touched and left a part of His beloved land wherever he went. May we continue to be the travellers who make a difference. The Mandela Presidential Centre will be a reflection of this – we are delighted to be able to open the doors to Madiba’s former residence and look forward to sharing it with the world. We could not have wanted a more fitting partner than Thebe Tourism Group in honouring the Mandela legacy in this project,” said Sello Hatang, CEO of Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mabena added: “We are extremely excited at taking on a truly unique
project in with such an iconic status. We believe the country’s tourism potential has only just been tickled, and by creating products which enhance the scenic beauty and global political importance, more people will be enticed to explore tourism offerings in South Africa.” THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT With investments from public and private sector bolstering South Africa’s already magical tourism offering, now is the perfect time for this important industry to come to the forefront of the economy and contribute even further to meaningful transformation. If this happens, TTG can expand its reach throughout southern Africa. “We are currently focussed very heavily on the South African market, but we want to be world-class. We believe we can be a world-class African company and when people visit us, we want them to experience the
same service they would experience anywhere else in the world. “The business itself - from the days when we had a grant of R100,000 to start the organisation, to where we are now - is up to R4.8 - 5 billion in terms of market value. That is a summation of all of the investments that we have – listed and unlisted. We have invested in certain entities and disinvested in others and we are moving strongly into the attraction space,” says Mabena. For this CEO and for TTG, positivity is the order of the day, every day. “When all is said and done, we do believe that the future is only brighter. We are certainly of the school of thought which suggests that South Africa is still at the beginning of an exciting journey,” he concludes.
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