South Coast Tourism and its members are doing something right – in March alone, members and the tourism body itself were recognized on two different platforms for levels of excellence and in the past six months, no less than 14 awards have been handed out to members within this diverse destination, writes Nikki Tilley.
A bird’s eye view of the awards list:
The TravelGround Awards recognise the most outstanding establishments in various towns, cities, and tourism regions in South Africa. These establishments offer quality customer service to all of their guests and consistently receive excellent customer feedback.
Scooping up four awards, Ugu South Coast Tourism members, Beachcomber Bay, The Homestead, Driftsands and Stephan’s were recognised for their high standards and overall ongoing levels of excellence.
The PMR Business Awards recognise outstanding service and contribution to the economic growth and development of the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast Region. Ugu South Coast Tourism received diamond, first overall prize for Companies/Institutions doing the utmost to enhance tourism and conservation, and Justin Mackrory, CEO, Ugu South Coast Tourism was also recognized as a diamond winner in the outstanding service and contribution to the economic growth and development of the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast Region in the business persons category.
In December 2014, The World Luxury Hotel Awards gala dinner was held at the Camps Bay Hotel in Cape Town. Attended by all the who’s who, The Gorge Private Game Lodge & Spa walked away with the World’s Best Game Lodge Award. And you thought the South Coast was just about beaches and family fun!
And not to forget the two national Lilizela Awards from last year where Wild 5 and Umthunzi Hotel walked away with national recognition. Umthunzi Hotel and Conference Centre was awarded top prize in the 3-star accommodation awards and Wild 5 Adventures were awarded the top place in the Action and Adventure category for Experience of the Year.
And what a way to celebrate success than over an award winning cappuccino? In the 2014/15 SM Coffee Guide Cappuccino contest, five Ugu South Coast Tourism members were awarded 3-stars. These include Beaver Creek, Burlesque Cafe, Coffee on the Square, Le Petit Café and Tea @ Bay Tree.
The words of Justin Mackrory sums up the sentiment of these awards: “The wonderful aspect about winning an award is that it is an external vote of confidence. Businesses can be as pro-active as they deem fit when marketing themselves (given their individual time and resources available) yet when recognized from an independent body or through public votes, this is really when an endorsement takes place. It is excellent affirmation that not only industry, but the public too, believe in a product. This is when the trade and the public become ambassadors to your business. This being the ultimate goal for any establishment or service provider. We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to our members, for their contribution to tourism and for keeping the bar high.”
For more on South Coast Tourism visit www.tourismsouthcoast.co.za
