The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly enhance tourism trade communications in the Southern Africa region.
In terms of the agreement, RETOSA member states, which include Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mazambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe will contribute editorial content pertaining to their countries tourism trade for publication in the Tourism Tattler magazine, which will now become the Official Trade Journal of both SATSA and RETOSA.
Francis Mfune, RETOSA’s Executive Director, emphasised that this partnership presents an awesome opportunity for public-private sector collaboration. “It is a true reflection of RETOSA and SATSA’s willingness to forge meaningful relationships that will enhance the visibility for the region among key tourism stakeholders across the world”, he concluded.
The Tourism Tattler Trade Journal is published bi-monthly (six issues per year) and is distributed free of charge to subscribers in page-turn e-zine format to over 13 000 recipients, which number will grow as stakeholders in each of the member countries are encouraged to subscribe. The magazine is also available in printed ‘hard-copy’ format at a nominal fee.
Commenting on the initiative, SATSA CEO Michael Tatalias said; “We have long known that in the mind of the consumer the tourism product is not seen as compartmentalised into narrow geo-political definitions. Rather the customer (and critically - the potential customer) is focused on the excitement and thrill of potential experiences and structuring a trip to take in the well-known icons and places of interest. The industry in the SADC region needs to accept this and work far more closely together. It is to our mutual benefit. Happily we are seeing a political acceptance of this, and high-level co-operation starting to develop. Thus from the private sector level, we need to drive this to a new level. It is in this light that SATSA is thrilled to be creating a strategic alliance with RETOSA, a significant player focused on developing tourism in the SADC region. The more we talk together and share information, the better the tourism product will be, and the more tourists (domestic, regional and international) we will attract. The more tourists we attract and have travelling around our region spending money into the formal industry – crucially the more jobs we will create, and the healthier our businesses will be. I look forward to working with RETOSA”.
“For the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to succeed in driving economic growth and boosting job creation throughout the economies of member states, it is imperative that the tourism trade has access to information on internationally acceptable standards of service in tourism operations”, says Kwakye Donkor, Director: Marketing and Communications at RETOSA. “As SATSA is the acknowledged association representing the private sector of in-bound tourism operators in terms of quality and credibility standards, this is an excellent fit and an appropriate medium through which to communicate to the region’s tourism trade”.
The editorial content of the magazine covers a broad range of subject matter under the page headers of Aviation and Air Access, Achievements and Accolades, Attractions, Business and Finance (business systems, compliance, tax), Business Tourism, Conservation, Destinations, Events and Trade Shows, Global Tourism, Guiding, Health and Safety, Hospitality (accommodation, restaurants, entertainment), Investment, Legal and Legislation, Letters to the Editor, Marketing (research, statistics, strategy, analysis), Niche Tourism (Birding, Cruise, Cultural, Medical, Sport, Youth), Procurement, Regional Tourism, Responsible Tourism, Risk and Insurance, Technology, Trade News, Training and Education, Transport, Visas and Cross Border Access.
“In 2006 SATSA expanded the Tourism Tattler from an in-house magazine sent to our members only to a fully fledged trade journal open to all tourism trade stakeholders”, says Des Langkilde, ExCo Board Member: Communications Portfolio at SATSA. “Based on the number of enquiries from non-members that our front office deals with on a daily basis, we saw the need for providing the tourism trade with information that may help them to gain a better understanding of tourism issues, such as legal and risk aspects that impact on tourism, and explanations of marketing and business principles that may help them to become knowledgeable and credible providers of services to tourists who visit the Southern Africa region”.
For more information contact: SATSA – Des Langkilde on email
des@satsa.co.za or RETOSA – Thoko Mdlalose on email
thoko@retosa.co.za