The Tourism Business Council (TBCSA) confirmed that the inaugural Travel & Tourism Business Exchange will take place from 2 to 4 September 2012, in Johannesburg.

Formerly known as the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Conference Southern Africa, the Exchange is a joint initiative between the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) and five of its member associations.  They are the Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA), the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), the National Accommodation Association of South Africa (NAA-SA), the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA) and the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA).

“The main objective of hosting a joint industry conference is to facilitate industry cooperation and to reduce the proliferation of conferences within the sector,” says TBCSA Chief Executive Officer Mmatšatši Marobe.  “By convening one conference at the beginning of Tourism Month 2012 we aim to create a central platform where members can address industry specific issues, as well as the challenges and opportunities which impact on the entire sector.”

Michael Tatalias, CEO of SATSA says “one industry conference will save valuable time and money when compared to previous years where all tourism associations host member-based conferences on an annual basis.  These conferences usually attract the same delegates and tend to address the same macro-economic issues.”  The conference will comprise two-and-a-half days of deliberations, exhibitions, networking and social events with an expanded programme allowing for close delegate interaction. 

“This is an event not to be missed and we want to urge all our members within FEDHASA and the broader travel and tourism business community to diarize these dates”, said Eddy Khosa, CEO of FEDHASA.  

Marobe concluded that the timing of the conference was significant with September being Tourism and Heritage Month in South Africa, “this is an opportune time to reflect on the current state of the industry and to further deliberate growth opportunities for our industry going forward.  We urge all travel and tourism operators to diarise the date and make sure they do not miss this important industry gathering”.  To find out more about registration and the conference programme, log on to www.tourismvision2020.co.za.