Minister announces new CEO of SA Tourism

Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, has welcomed the appointment of Sisa Ntshona as the new CEO of South African Tourism.

The appointment has been approved by the Cabinet and was announced on Thursday by the Chairperson of the SA Tourism Board, Dr Tanya Abrahamse.

From February 1999 until March 2004 Ntshona was Executive Manager for Africa and the Middle East at South African Airways. More recently he was responsible for enterprise development across 12 countries in Africa at Barclays.

He is Chairperson and President of the Enterprise Development Council of South Africa, a not-for-profit association that co-ordinates the enterprise and supplier development elements of the BBBEE codes.

“The work of SA Tourism in marketing our country to international and domestic travellers is critical to the future of the tourism sector, which is making a growing contribution to the overall national economy,” said Minister Hanekom. “We are delighted that Sisa will lead SA Tourism as we work together with our partners in industry to sustain our recent growth.

“He has an impressive track record in leadership, business and stakeholder management, and a sound understanding of diversity and transformation. These are key attributes as we strive towards transforming the entire tourism sector to be more inclusive of all our people. 

“Sisa’s experience in the banking and aviation industries will be valuable to SA Tourism, and to the wider tourism sector. We look forward to working with him and his team to grow international tourist arrivals even further and develop a vibrant domestic tourism market.”

Minister Hanekom thanked the Chief Operating Officer of SA Tourism, Sthembiso Dlamini, for acting as CEO and keeping the organisation on track to meet its objectives during the appointment process.