EC Shines at Lilizela 2016
Thursday, 20th October 2016
The Eastern Cape's light shone brightly at the recent Lilizela Tourism Awards in Sandton and establishments from the province walked away with 11 awards on the evening. The Lilizela Awards are the Oscars of the tourism industry with the best of the best being recognised on the night hosted by Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom. The Eastern Cape Provincial awards took place late in September and all the provincial winners were in attendance as national finalists.
"Looking at all the national winners and who the Eastern Cape finalists in those categories were, we can truly say that the Eastern Cape does not have to stand back one bit when it comes to the bigger picture of tourism in South Africa," said Jonker Fourie, ECTOUR CEO and one of the judges in the Visitor Experience category at the Lilizela Awards. "I could burst with pride every time an Eastern Cape product was called up during the evening. How can one not when you see how well your province is doing?"
Dewald Niemann, owner of Oudebosch Farm Stall & Protea Tours and Chairperson of both Tsitsikamma Tourism Association and ECTOUR, who was also a judge in the Accommodation category, said that he wasn't just extreme proud of the Eastern Cape's winners' achievements but also the fact that the province had the most entries at this year's awards, over 80% up from last year's number of entries. "I'm hoping to see even more entries from the province next year which could easily lead to an increase of winners. Just the fact that we have so many entries though are showing SA Tourism what the province truly has to offer, making us all winners" Niemann said.
The Eastern Cape winners at the national Lilizela Awards were:
- Amapondo Backpackers on the Wild Coast - 2-star Backpackers category
- Tube 'n Axe Backpackers Lodge in the Tsitsikamma - 2-star Backpackers category
- Lemon Tree Lane Bed and Breakfast in Port Elizabeth - 5-star Bed and Breakfast category
- Town Lodge Port Elizabeth - 2-star Hotel category
- Thunzi Bush Lodge between Port Elizabeth and Jbay - 4-star Shared Vacation in the Self Catering category
- Beach Break at Cape St Francis Resort - 5-star Shared Vacation in the Self Catering category
- Bloukrans Bungy (Face Adrenalin) in the Tsitsikamma - Action & Adventure
- Chokka Trail at Cape St Francis - Beach Experience
- Raggy Charters in Port Elizabeth - Marine Adventures
- Storms River Adventures (Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours) - B-BBEE Qualifying Small Enterprise
- Drifters Raceway in East London - second runner-up in the ETEYA category
Article courtesy of Jonker Fourie, Emfuleni Corridor Tourism (EC Tour) - http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f6462cf46bf8bf08c6456fb59&id=97e48ba74f&e=1180a259b7
