In a significant move to enhance tourism services across the SADC region, a pioneering Train the Trainer Tourism Customer Service Workshop was recently conducted. This initiative, a key component of the SADC Tourism Programme 2020-2030, focuses on equipping border officials with crucial customer service skills to create a more welcoming and efficient experience for travellers, thereby bolstering the tourism sector across SADC member states.

The workshop emerged from a collaborative effort led by the SADC Business Council Tourism Alliance and the SADC Secretariat, working in tandem with the Joint Action NaturAfrica / Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management (C-NRM) Programme.

This programme, a partnership between SADC, the European Union, and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), underscores the region’s commitment to improving tourism infrastructure and service quality.

As a major driver of economic growth in the region, tourism is a key industry of focus for SADC and consequently several initiatives are outlined in the SADC Tourism Programme to enhance the experience of visiting tourists, such as improved and aligned visa regimes, improved air access and capacity building at touchpoints that tourists encounter along their journey.

“Recognising the vital role of border personnel in shaping first impressions for visitors, the Train the Trainer Tourism Customer Service Workshop was the first step in creating coursework and training senior border management officials to improve interactions with tourists and facilitate better communication,” says SADC Secretariat Senior Programme Officer – Tourism, Moreri Mabote.

Participating countries were Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with attendees convening at the Mangwa Valley Game Lodge in the Dinokeng Game Reserve, Gauteng, to gain first-hand knowledge of how tourism has transformed the previously agricultural area.

The coursework covered critical topics such as the economic importance of tourism, principles of customer service, effective communication techniques, cultural sensitivity, problem-solving, and creating customer service action plans. The interactive programme also offered a game reserve immersion and incorporated experiential activities such as game drives to provide a holistic context of the tourism industry and build camaraderie among participants. 

The SADC Business Council Tourism Alliance is a public-private partnership dedicated to boosting the region’s competitiveness and contribution to social and economic development by building skills, improving accessibility, raising destination visibility, sharing best practices and promoting policy reforms that expand regional tourism.  

Says SADC Business Council Tourism Alliance Project Lead, Natalia Rosa: “This training directly supports the SADC Tourism Programme’s goal of improving immigration facilitation to boost regional tourism growth and economic development. Border officials are the first and last point of contact for visitors. Empowering them with customer service skills will significantly elevate tourists’ perceptions of our destinations and encourage increased visits.” 

Rosa continues: “Streamlined, welcoming border procedures are essential for realising the immense potential of tourism to drive job creation and prosperity across the SADC region. We’re proud to see officials collaborating to implement international best practices in efficiently and courteously welcoming tourists.” 

In feedback received after the workshop, participants agreed on the value and knowledge gained from the workshop, saying it helped them reflect on their significant role as immigration officers in shaping the tourism industry.

The Train the Trainer model creates further impact by enabling these participants to cascade the training to their colleagues at border posts throughout the 11 participating countries. They will also remain engaged through feedback surveys and an online discussion portal to share successes, challenges and suggestions. Ongoing monitoring will track improvements in tourist satisfaction and border efficiency. 

“As part of our continued programme of reinvesting in our products, we have given our accommodation an elegant makeover. A city landmark, Southern Sun Ridgeway has been the hotel of choice for business professionals, NGOs, Lusaka-locals and adventure seekers over the decades,” explains General Manager, Paul Norman.

Inspiration for the refurbished rooms focused on the rich copper and gemstone resources of the southern African country, with the rich colours of emeralds, amethyst, aquamarine, tourmaline, garnet and rose quartz informing the hotel’s new colour palette. The country’s heritage is further reflected through the distinct pattern carpets, and the natural wonders of Zambia are highlighted through the wall art featuring magnificent indigenous trees.

Every room is equipped for a great night’s sleep with blackout curtains, soft and spacious beds and walk-in showers. Feel-at-home comforts include complimentary WiFi, flat-screen DStv and 24-hour room service.

In addition, Southern Sun Ridgeway Lusaka has completed upgrades to its reception area, public toilets, and business centre. An additional boardroom is also now available, seating 16 people. The Musuku Restaurant is currently being refurbished and is expected to be completed by the end of November 2019.

Southern Sun Ridgeway Lusaka has 154 rooms, 6 meeting rooms, a restaurant, bar and terrace, and a swimming pool and fitness centre. One of the hotel’s most renowned features is the pond-courtyard complete with resident reed-home weavers and baby crocodiles – a Lusaka central destination for dinner dates, business breakfasts and ladies lunches.

“We are proud to have launched a camp aimed at uplifting young women. It is important that young women believe in themselves and understand that they too have an important role to play in the conservation of the country’s untouched wilderness areas, which continue to positively impact local economies”, says Sue Goatley, CITW Zambezi Programme Coordinator.

While the primary focus of the camp was on environmental education, life skills, business and enterprise in communities, great emphasis was placed on women. By talking about their personal life journeys, Barbara Murasiranwa and Prudence Chinyemba motivated the learners and showed them that with passion and determination anything is possible. Barbara is a successful businesswoman based in Victoria Falls, and Prudence works as a Wilderness Air flight dispatcher while she fits in some flying time in her quest to attain her commercial pilot’s license.

“On the last day of the camp, our girls teamed up with 12 students from The Traveling School, an organisation based in the United States that aims to empower teenage girls by providing them with an overseas high school semester of experiential learning. It was such a pleasure watching the girls take advantage of the opportunity and make the best of the time they had together, as both groups had much to teach and learn from each other”, notes Sue.

Etosha King Nehale, designed by Sven-Eric Staby, takes the shape of a head of Nguni cattle, the chalets radiating out from the central area like a cow’s horns. Each of the spacious chalets has its own plunge pool and views over the plains, where sunrises and sunsets, and the phases of the moon are accentuated, offering guests the exceptional feeling of endless space and limitless horizons.

The detail that puts this new lodge over the top, is its private access to a secluded waterhole inside Etosha National Park. This waterhole is reserved for Etosha King Nehale guests only.

The area is characterised by vast and spectacular landscapes including the Andoni Plains, artesian springs and woodlands. To the north, the conservancy is surrounded by the pulsating life of the communal areas of the Oshikoto, Oshana, Ohangwena and Omusati Regions. Guests have the opportunity to combine the cultural vibrancy of so-called Owamboland with the natural wonders of the rarely frequented northern part of the Etosha National Park.

Iganyana Tented Camp is situated on a private concession just minutes from Hwange airport and Hwange National Park.

15 large luxury tents each offering 640 square feet of pure peace and privacy, all rooms have king or twin beds,  en-suite bathrooms with separate dressing area, air-conditioning, tea and coffee making facilities, and double doors leading onto a shaded outdoor veranda.

There are several activities to choose from at Iganyana, game drives in the Hwange National Park, bush walks or a visit to the African Painted Dog Conservation Centre. Full day game drive inside Hwange National Park are also available on request.

Speaking from Africa’s Travel Indaba, John Greenleaf, Global Head, Hilton Garden Inn said, “We have positioned Hilton Garden Inn for success in Africa with a prototype developed specifically for the region. This prototype has been curated to meet the expectations of both travelers and owners throughout Africa, while maintaining the brand’s signature light, bright and airy design as well as the consistent, core guest offerings and amenities that the brand is recognized for around the world.”

Each hotel is built in the Hilton Garden Inn tradition featuring modern guest rooms perfect for work and comfort. Guests may unwind in a relaxing social setting, enjoying handcrafted cocktails, light bites or dinner. The Shop, a 24-hour, grab-and-go retail space, offers an upscale mix of healthy, indulgent and fresh foods, varietal beverages and a self-serve specialty coffee bar.

To date, Hilton Garden Inn has four properties and nearly 800 rooms open in Africa, including:

• Morocco: Hilton Garden Inn Tanger City Center (Opened March 2016) – Hilton Garden Inn’s initial entry into Africa, this property is steps away from the beach and the famed Tanger City Mall with stunning views of the city and Mediterranean Sea
• Kenya: Hilton Garden Inn Nairobi Airport (Opened February 2018) – Hilton Garden Inn’s first property in Kenya is a welcoming oasis close to Nairobi’s international airport with a rooftop infinity pool
• Zambia: Hilton Garden Inn Lusaka Society Business Park (Opened August 2018) – Zambia’s first Hilton hotel, this Hilton Garden Inn property is centrally located in the heart of Lusaka City, perfect for business travelers
• Botswana: Hilton Garden Inn Gaborone (Opened February 2019) – Hilton’s first hotel in the country, this Hilton Garden Inn property is centrally located in the city’s new Central Business District 

“Countries such as Botswana and Uganda are some of the fastest growing economies in the world, with impressive visitor offerings. The Hilton Garden Inn brand appeals to the rise of middle-class travelers into and across Africa, providing an opportunity for us to open hotels and meet guest demand in key destinations,” said Jan Van Der Putten, VP Operations, Africa and Indian Ocean, Hilton. 

With 14 hotels and nearly 2,400 rooms in the Africa pipeline, Hilton Garden Inn will welcome several first-in-country properties over the next few years in the region. Hilton Garden Inn Kampala in Uganda and Hilton Garden Inn Mbabane in Swaziland are in the pipeline to open this month as first-in-country properties for both Hilton Garden Inn and the Hilton enterprise. The pipeline also projects Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek in Namibia to open later this year, another first-in-country for Hilton Garden Inn. Other African countries in the Hilton Garden Inn pipeline include Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. 

As Hilton Garden Inn expands in Africa, the Hilton enterprise as a whole also expects to double its footprint across Africa from 44 hotels today to almost 100 over the next several years. Hilton, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month, has a rich legacy of hospitality leadership in the region. As shared in The Hilton Effect, Hilton was the first international hotel brand in the newly created capital of Abuja more than 30 years ago. Hilton produced infrastructure, created sewage and electric systems, built factories, paved roads and recruited Team Members from around the world to quickly teach locals – many of whom had never set foot in a hotel – to deliver five-star service to nearly 1,000 government officials.

While Africa is a key growth region for Hilton Garden Inn, in the first quarter of 2019 the brand also continued to expand globally, opening 10 new properties in six different countries including Switzerland, Austria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Botswana and the United States.

This will be the first time in history that a passenger train will travel the famous east-to-west copper trail.

This inaugural trip sets off on July 16 from Dar es Salaam, and includes a visit to the Selous Reserve; a fly-in two-night safari in the South Luangwa National Park (Zambia); and a city tour of Lubumbashi (DRC). Thereafter it joins the Benguela line for short walking tours detailing Angola’s recent history, with the journey ending in Lobito (Angola). The voyage is also available in reverse departing from Lobito on August 2, Brenda Vos-Fitchet, Rovos Rail communications manager, says.

“To be able to introduce a new adventure after 29 years in operation is exciting and presents me with a refreshing operational challenge. It’s taken over two years to acquire permission and have our proposed itinerary approved by the respective authorities. My team and I have flown across our borders on a few occasions to meet the relevant officials, drive the route and conduct site visits in an effort to smooth the way as best we can for our band of intrepid travellers who will hopefully join us on this expedition,” adds Rohan Vos, Rovos Rail owner and CEO.

Rovos Rail also operates a luxury train from Cape Town to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, along with several other journeys.

In a statement issued by the tourism authority, ZTA Head Corporate Affairs Godfrey Koti said the Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Senator Prisca Mupfumira and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Board appointed Mrs Likukuma on an acting role of Chief Executive with effect from 01 February 2019.

ZTA Chief Operating Officer Mr Givemore Chidzidzi had been acting since November 2018 on behalf of Dr Karikoga Kaseke who has been off work on medical grounds. Likukuma is the Deputy Chairperson of the current Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Board and Non-Executive Director of PG Industries.

“By rebuilding King’s Pool, we are showcasing our commitment to driving sustainable ecotourism in the Linyanti – a truly remarkable wildlife destination”, commented Kim Nixon, Wilderness Safaris Botswana MD.

“And to celebrate the romance of the camp’s history, we will ensure that the new look retains the traits of a traditional safari camp, but with a renewed authentic, yet classic, Botswana flair”, added Lead Designer, Caline Williams-Wynn from Artichoke.

A thatch roof structure is therefore consistent throughout the camp to blend in with the surrounds, and the ancient Batswana craft of weaving is expressed in a number of architectural details – the imprint design applied to the camp’s screen walls, woven rope detail on vertical supports, as well as on the balustrades. “We’ve also carried the basket theme throughout the interiors, and will be embroidering abstract images of baskets on the scatter cushions, hand-painting basket murals on the walls, and using various design elements on the curtains, as well as installing impressive woven chandeliers in the dining room”, Caline noted.

Special care has also been taken to balance privacy, safety and comfort whilst still “inviting the outside in”, to create a signature immersive Wilderness Safaris experience. Thus, the main area, deck and bar offer uninterrupted views, with closer proximity to the water, while parts of the roof extend down to ensure privacy.

“We regret to announce that due to the current situation in Zimbabwe and ongoing challenges with the repatriation of funds from Zimbabwe we are temporarily suspending our Lusaka/ Harare route effective 29 January until 1 March. All passengers will be refunded in full for tickets purchased for travel during this period,” said Proflight’s Director of Government and Industry Affairs Capt. Philip Lemba.