Bunny Bhoola
Managing Director
African Link Tours & Travel
Tel: +27 33 345 3175
Email: [email protected]
www.africanlink.co.za
Bunny Bhoola is one of South Africa’s top tourism entrepreneurs and her business, African Link Tours and Travel, has grown streadily over the past decade, thanks to her hard work and canny business sense. Bhoola holds a BTech in tourism and in 2003 was recognised by the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Bhoola is a committed member of the Pietermaritzburg business community and has served her province, KwaZulu-Natal, equally well, being a long-standing member and former chairperson of the KZN chapter of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa).
She now serves in her own right on the Satsa exco and on the executive committee of Pietermaritzburg Tourism. Bhoola has also been appointed chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal leg of SA Tourism, is a two-time winner of the Impumulelo Award and was recently elected as a director of the PCB.
Robyn Christie
CEO
Asata
Tel: +27 11 327 7803
Email: [email protected]
www.asata.co.za
Robyn Christie, like many others in the retail travel industry, began her career working for Budget Travel. A long and varied career followed in diverse industries from banking to pharmaceuticals, but it was the 10 years she spent marketing and selling a leading charge card that ultimately returned her to the travel industry.
While she still enjoys the experience of travel, her passion really lies with the people in this dynamic industry. Her portfolio as CEO of the Association of South African Travel Agents is diverse and she remains challenged by the complexity of travel but is rewarded by the energy that prevails.
Nonnie Kubeka
Senior Manager: Destination Marketing
Gauteng Tourism Authority
Tel: +27 11 639 1600
www.gauteng.net
The destination marketing unit of the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) is headed by Nonhlanhla (Nonnie) Kubeka, who joined the authority in December 2005. Kubeka’s role is to develop a marketing strategy for the province and initiate and implement marketing activities nationally and internationally with a view to attracting tourists to the province. Kubeka brings to the GTA 10 years of experience in marketing across several sectors.
She served as senior manager for marketing and sales at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, and corporate marketing manager for Standard Bank and Transnet respectively. Kubeka holds a secondary teachers diploma, a BCom, an MDP and an MBA in strategic marketing. Additionally, she has obtained certificates in services marketing, advertising communications strategy, global marketing and direct and interactive marketing from the Institute of Marketing Management.
Kubeka was on the board of Cape Town Tourism and sits on the board of Instinct Financial and Consulting Services, Zambezi and is an STA committee member.
Mmatsatsi Marobe
CEO
Tourism Business Council of South Africa
Tel: +27 12 654 7525
www.tbcsa.org.za
Mmatsatsi Marobe completed her bachelor’s degree in social science and humanities at the University of Cape Town in 1989, then occupied a part-time position of research assistant to renowned South African academic leader Dr Mamphela Ramphela in the University of Cape Town’s social anthropology department.
She has 12 years’ experience in the tourism industry, having held the strategic marketing hot seat at South African National Parks from 1996 to 2000, subsequently moving to the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority as marketing communications manager from 2000 to 2003, before taking up the post of general manager: tourism at the Limpopo Tourism and Parks Board.
Now at the helm of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, Marobe continues to play a critical role in shaping the tourism industry. She holds an honours degree in business management and is studying for an MA in organisational management with the University of Phoenix. She serves on the boards of the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa and the Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Education and Training Authority.
Didi Moyle
COO
South African Tourism
Tel: +27 11 895 3000
www.southafrica.net
Didi Moyle has served for five years on the executive of South African Tourism as the chief research officer and was appointed chief operating officer in June 2007. She set up the strategic research unit and was responsible for starting the organisation’s e-business department.
She is also credited with heading the project that developed the tourism growth strategy that drives South Africa’s tourism marketing globally. Her wealth of tourism experience and knowledge also includes the two years she notched up as special adviser to the former minister of environmental affairs and tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, and another two years with the minister of transport in South Africa’s first democratically elected government.
In addition, she has the benefit of solid media knowledge gleaned from her experiences as a journalist on leading South African metropolitan newspapers and a stint as assistant editor of Femina magazine. She has a BSoc Sc Hons political science (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban) and clinical psychology Hons (University of Cape Town).
Razeena Omar
Executive Director: People and Conservation
South African National Parks
Tel: +27 12 426 5209
www.sanparks.org.za
Dr Razeena Omar, executive director of people and conservation in South African National Parks (SANParks), is active in advancing education and environmental conservation work. She holds academic and professional qualifications in natural and social sciences and a PhD in environmental education.
In the area of education, Omar contributed significantly to the inclusion of environment in the national curriculum through the establishment of the National Environmental Education Programme during her tenure as environmental adviser to the previous minister of education.
In her current position at SANParks, one of her favourite projects is the implementation of the Kids in Parks programme, in partnership with the departments of education and environmental affairs and tourism, and Pick ‘n Pay. Through participating on decision-making boards and advisory structures, such as her position as co-chairperson on the Earth Charter International Council, Omar contributes to furthering environmental sustainability.
Jennifer Seif
Executive Director
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa
Tel: +27 12 342 2945
www.fairtourismsa.org.za
Jennifer Seif is executive director of Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA), a position she has held for seven years. She holds a number of academic qualifications in economics, history, social anthropology and business administration, and is completing her PhD at the University of PretoriaÂ, focusing on tourism certification and destination competitiveness.
Prior to joining FTTSA, Seif was product development manager for the North West Parks and Tourism Board. Before that, she worked in academia at the University of North West and the University of Cape Town. She lectures on responsible tourism and is the architect of a Unisa seminar on sustainable tourism.
Seif serves on a number of boards including the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (since 2004), Fair Trade South Africa (since 2005), the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (since 2006) and Backpacking South Africa (since 2007). In March 2008 she was elected to serve on the global steering committee for The Code International. In 2001 and 2003 she was recognised by the Ashoka Citizens Base Initiative for excellence in non-profit resource mobilisation.
Anitha Soni
Group CEO
ASA Tourism Services Group
Tel: +27 11 781 8831 / +27 31 303 2825
www.asatourism.com
Anitha Soni established Utembezi Tourism Investment Holdings, which focuses on investments in tourism infrastructure, travel services and tourism knowledge management. The knowledge management focus developed out of work she has done with the ASA Tourism Services Group since 1989.
She has been involved in setting the framework for tourism in South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Her work includes developing the tourism White Paper for South Africa, designing and implementing the initial tourism enterprise programme, marketing strategies for SADC countries and the framework for the SADC Univisa programme.
Soni was awarded the 2002 Businesswoman of the Year BBQ Award. She served on the board of South African Tourism and chaired the first board of the Tourism Grading Council as well as the board of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal. She was appointed by the minister of tourism to the steering committee to develop the tourism black economic empowerment scorecard and subsequently as deputy chairperson of the Tourism Empowerment Council.
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