Pretoria, South Africa, 9 October 2018 – The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has announced the appointment of Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa as its new chief executive officer (CEO) to drive the TBCSA board strategy.
“We are excited that we have secured an outstanding tourism executive of the caliber of Tshifhiwa to spearhead TBCSA’s organisational strategy. There was huge interest in this role from tourism industry heavyweights, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who made themselves available to serve in this position. On behalf of the board I would also like to congratulate Tshifhiwa on his appointment and we wish him a successful journey with us. He is level headed and is well respected in the industry,” said Blacky Komani, the chairman of the TBCSA Board.
Tourism has been identified by the government as one of the sectors that are potential growth engines that can lift the South African economy out of the recession, thereby creating jobs and reducing high unemployment. Tourism currently contributes 9.5% to South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the sector employs more than 1.5 million people.
In monetary value terms, tourism contributes R412 billion to the GDP, but there is strong belief in the industry that tourism can substantially increase its contribution to the economy if obstacles to its growth are removed.
TBCSA has adopted a new organisational strategy, which focuses on tourism as a stimulant for the economy, elevates tourism’s profile as an employment and enterprise creator, and resets the TBCSA. Tshivhengwa’s appointment is in line with plans to implement this strategy. Another key element of the strategy will be to enhance collaboration between the private sector, government, and the civil society to grow tourism.
“We welcome the deliberations that took place at the Jobs Summit last week. We fully support the President’s efforts aimed at stimulating employment creation and we believe that tourism has a big role to play in this private sector-driven and government-led initiative,” said Komani.
Tshivhengwa, who was the former CEO of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), will be responsible for overseeing TBCSA’s day-to-day operations and driving the implementation of its strategy.
“I would like to thank the TBCSA Board for placing its trust and confidence in me. I look forward to working closely with the Board, the Council’s staff, and industry in growing the travel and tourism industry”, said Tshivhengwa.
Jeff Rosenberg, National Chairperson of FEDHASA, applauded the appointment of Tshivhengwa and wished him well in his new and challenging role at TBCSA. During the time that Tshivhengwa was CEO of FEDHASA, he was instrumental in growing the organisation’s brand, keeping it relevant amongst all its stakeholders, and ensuring that FEDHASA’s members’ interests were kept top of mind at all times.
Tshivhengwa brings to the TBCSA strategic focus and versatile business acumen gained during his work internationally and in South Africa. He is a respected industry leader currently sits on the boards of the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, Tourism BBBEE Charter Council and others.
