South Africa’s vibrant hospitality industry is still recovering from the brutal effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, in December of 2021, Statistics SA reported that the total income for the tourist accommodation industry increased by 46.6 percent.
The Federal Hospitality Association of South Africa said: “While this is good news, the industry is still very much carrying the weight of Covid-19 lockdown and travel restrictions, with some major players still cancelling services they used to use for years.”
According to Kim Macdonald, a lecturer at The IIE School of Hospitality and Service Management's Rosebank campus, this is a terrific sector to be a part of because of its broad character and many chances for graduates locally and abroad.
“The biggest mistake one can make is assuming that a qualification in hospitality can only assist in getting a job working in a hotel, when in fact it opens any career opportunity that involves a relationship with the customer,” said Macdonald.
However, when it does come to working in a hotel, Macdonald said training and certified qualifications were always advantageous, but most hotels were now looking for much more than just that.
They wanted staff who have leadership potential in addition to commitment, enthusiasm, and great communication skills. A good knowledge of health and safety, and finance and budgeting was also an advantage, she advised.
“Service management plays an essential and significant role in the hospitality industry. I believe that it’s what protects the relationship with the customer. Problems occur all the time, mistakes happen.
“But what the guest will remember is how you treated them and how you handled the situation. That is what will gain their loyalty,” she said.
Fish Mahlalela, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, recently stated that 15.2 million domestic trips were taken from January to June 2022.
“According to StatsSA, by June this year we had received nearly 2.28 million international visitors. This is a phenomenal growth spurt.
“We are on track to matching and surpassing last year’s full-year total tourist arrival statistics of just over 2.3 million. The total foreign direct spend from January to June 2022 was R21.5 billion,” said Mahlalela.
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