The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGC) is addressing concerns around quality inconsistencies of properties graded by the council in line with the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
This was the word from Chief Quality Assurance Officer, Thembi Kunene, at Meetings Africa 2011 (February 21-23) where she spoke at a SAACI (Southern African Association for the Conference Industry) Educational Seminar as part of a panel of experts, including Peter Cumberlege of Hospitality Management Services, William Fullard of Fullard & Mayer Attorneys, and Advocate Louis Nel, who advised industry members about the impact of the imminent CPA on business tourism.
“TGC’s focus for 2011 to 2014 is to establish a recognisable, credible, globally benchmarked system of quality assurance that can be relied on,” Kunene said.
To achieve this, the council has implemented a ‘six key strategy’ looking at developing globally recognised grading criteria, improving IT infrastructure, simplifying billing processes and implementing more equitable fee structures, promoting industry participation, stopping illegal use of stars, and improving the competence and integrity of assessors.
“This strategy includes establishing a strict service provider agreement, which will see the strict management of and clear expectations regarding annual performance reviews, training on new grading /IT criteria, pre-screening of properties, and the consultation process,” said Kunene.
“The TGC is fundamentally changing to protect establishments and their clients once the CPA comes into effect,” she concluded.
Are you concerned about the implications of the Consumer Protection Act due to come into effect in April this year? If so, we’d like to hear from you. This March, Tourism Update Online will run a series of articles focusing on how the Consumer Protection Act will impact upon the tourism industry so let us know which aspects of the Act worry you most, or which sections you would like explained in more detail by emailing us at editor@tourismupdate.co.za or by adding your comment below.
