In November 2009, the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) welcomed the appointment of new members of the Tourism Grading Council's Awards Committee by the Minister of Tourism, Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk.

The Awards Committee is chaired by Mr. Peter Bacon, the former chief executive at Sun International and a member of the Board at South African Tourism. He is joined on the committee by individuals whose knowledge of, and expertise in, tourism and tourism business is unsurpassed in South Africa.

Says Thembi Kunene, Chief Quality Assurance Officer at TGCSA, "The Awards Committee comprises a collective of individuals who possess profound knowledge about the industry and this knowledge, undoubtedly, impacts positively on the business of the Tourism Grading Council and will continue to do so over the committee's three year tenure.

The Tourism Grading Council Awards Committee's key responsibility is awarding the relevant quality star grading to accommodation establishments that are worthy of the one, two, three, four or five star. The star grading is an independent assurance that helps consumers understand what they can expect of an establishment in terms of quality, services and facilities.

Peter Bacon, who took over as the Chairman of the Grading Council, emphasised the importance of ensuring that the grading of accommodation establishments and related tourism products and services enjoys the confidence of the industry and the travelling public. "To this end the Grading Council continues to focus on the integrity of the grading system in cooperation with the industry as well as increasing the number of graded establishments throughout the country. Quality Assurance is a pillar of SA Tourism's overall strategy to attract more foreign visitors to the country and our intention is to align our grading system with international best practice".

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