Voting open for Lilizela Awards

The industry and members of the public are now able to vote for the SA accommodation establishments they believe offer the best service. This follows the launch of the Lilizela Tourism Awards during Indaba 2013.

The Lilizela Service Excellence Awards will identify and reward tourism businesses who work passionately and with pride to help enhance South Africa’s global destination competitiveness.

“South Africa has more than 6 000 star graded establishments. Our star grading and the quality of our offering is of superior standards. However, we need the help of guests who stay at these establishments to let us know if the establishment really does offer what it purports – particularly when it comes to service,” said Thulani Nzima CEO of South African Tourism. 

The five award categories are: 

1.    Minister’s Award: This award will recognise a tourism business or personality who has set the benchmark, and whose work pushes this industry closer to the National Tourism Sector Strategy 2020 vision. The recipient will be chosen by the Minister of Tourism at his discretion. Entries close on June 25.

2.  Lilizela Service Excellence in Accommodation Award: This award is only open to graded establishments and is the only one of the categories reliant largely on guest feedback. The accommodation sector will be recognised during this first year, with the other service providers and operators to follow next year. Establishment owners are asked to encourage their guests to vote for them in order to further their chances of winning. Entries close on June 25. Public voting closes on July 5.

3.   Lilizela Eteya Award (Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award): This award recognises black owned SMMEs who have achieved notable success since starting up. Entries for 2013 are closed. However, entries for 2014 will be opened by the Minister of Tourism at the inaugural Lilizela Awards ceremony in September.

4.  Lilizela Universal Accessibility:  This award is for facilities and services at accommodation establishments and MESE venues which are accessible for people with physical limitations. The standard criteria are those used by the TGCSA that were introduced with the normal quality grading criteria back in 2010. Entries close on June 25.

5.  Lilizela Imvelo Award: This award will recognise the business that best incorporates the three development and sustainability pillars into their business operating models and the IMVELO brand will be incorporated accordingly. Entries close on July 19.

Entries for the awards are free but businesses need to comply with certain requirements before their application will be accepted. Overall winners from each category will be announced at a ceremony in September 2013, which will be preceded by provincial recognition awards to be handed out at provincial events.

To vote, people must visit, www.lilizela.co.za and click on the vote button. Strict measures have been put in place to ensure the process is fair and that people who vote have actually stayed in the establishment. Voters will be required to enter information indicating when they stayed and rate their overall experience, the facilities available and the level of services rendered. The date and length of stay will be verified by the establishment.

As an incentive to encourage people to vote, South African Tourism is sponsoring a two- night stay away to one lucky voter whose establishment wins the award. The prize will be redeemable once the final winners are announced at the awards ceremony during Tourism Month in September.