The VA TourismPodcast

My conversation today is about the role of women in the tourism sector and how governance structures can be improved to uplift the girl child to the upper echelons of the tourism establishment. My Guest is Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka who is the Former Executive Director of UN Women and current Chairperson of the World Committee of Tourism Ethics. The former vice president of South Africa also discusses her mandate as the chair of the Tourism Ethics Committee and how tourism can be a real force for good.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women. She was awarded a doctorate in Technology and Education from Warwick University. She has authored several scholarly and other opinion pieces. A Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. She became a Member of Parliament, Deputy Minister of the Department of Trade and Industry, Minister of Minerals and Energy, and finally as Deputy President of South Africa from 2005 to 2008, Dr. Mlambo-Ngcuka worked tirelessly on programmes and policies to reduce inequality. 
As the head of the UNwomen, she has been a global advocate for women and girls. She established initiatives such as the HeForShe for men and boys to address gender Equality. She also successfully mobilized a historic $40 billion USD   for women and girls around the world. She is a founder and leader of Umlambo Foundation which is dedicated to the improvement of education and digital literacy training for educators. 

The Acting CEO of South African Tourism Themba Khumalo has reassured the tourism community of a successful 2022 Travel Indaba from 2-5 May at Durban’s International Convention Centre. 
 

In today’s episode, my guests Megan Oberholzer and Martin Hiller of Reed Exhibition Africa take a deep dive into the return of Africa Travel Week after two years of postponement as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Africa Travel Week (ATW) focuses on inbound and outbound markets for leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel, economic development, investment and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.
 

After a successful hosting of this year’s MeetingsAfrica in Johannesburg,  South African Tourism is leaving no stone unturned to stage the return of Africa’s biggest leisure show, Africa’s Travel Indaba. In a conversation about the return of the event, the Acting CEO of South African Tourism Themba Khumalo said Indaba will offer more opportunities for the continent’s travel trade to connect and do business in a safe environment.
Africa’s Travel Indaba 2022 will take place from 02 – 05 May 2022 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (previously Durban ICC).
Register here
 

In this episode, the Senior Vice President Operations Middle East and Africa at Minor Hotel Amir Golbarg tells me, some of its hotels are back to pre pandemic levels. Amir who has been attending the 16th Meetings Africa in Johannesburg South Africa says Minor Hotels is committed to expanding its enviable footprint in Africa. 
Amir Golbarg heads up Operations in the Middle East and Africa region for Minor Hotels, in addition to the Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles and Mauritius. Minor Hotels’ portfolio currently totals 528 hotels in 56 countries and includes the highly-acclaimed luxury Anantara brand and the upscale Avani brand. Amir currently oversees a total of 33 properties in operation across ten countries and four brands, in addition to driving the development of a strong pipeline of properties within the region across multiple brands. This will see the launch of two new brands – NH Collection and NH Hotels – to the region later this year.
Joining the Minor Hotels regional team in March 2019 as Vice President Operations for the Middle East, North Africa, Mauritius, and Seychelles, Amir was promoted in September 2021 to Senior Vice President Operations, including adding the group’s operation in Southern Africa into the mix.
Amir previously held the strategic position of Chief Operating Officer at Al Rayyan Hospitality and Corporate Director – Asset Management at Katara Hospitality. Both entities are subsidiaries of the state-owned Qatar Investment Authority and in this dual role, Amir supported the State of Qatar with the opening and positioning of government assets and hotels both locally and internationally, in addition to managing a portfolio of operating entities and opening five luxury properties. These included the relaunch of Ritz Carlton Doha, the rebranding of the Six Senses Spa with Chiva-Som Resort in Thailand, the renovation of Raffles Singapore and the acquisition of Grosvenor House London.
A graduate of Glion Institute of Higher Education, Amir began his career in hospitality in 2004 and held various front of house roles for prestigious hotels such as Burj Al Arab and Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Amir first joined Minor Hotels in 2012 as Director of Operations & Hotel Openings based in the Bangkok Corporate Office. He then held several international positions with Minor, before becoming Hotel Manager at Souq Waqif Hotel Doha, Qatar in 2015.
Amir, who is a Danish national, is currently based in the Middle East Regional Office in Dubai. Now a seasoned international hotelier, Amir’s passion for excellence has led him to successfully drive the operations and hospitality assets for a number of companies for over 17 years.
Minor Hotels is an international hotel owner, operator and investor with a diverse portfolio of brands including Anantara, Avani, Oaks, Tivoli, NH Collection, NH, nhow and Elewana.
 

On the sidelines of this year’s Meetings Africa held in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Deputy CEO of the Rwanda Convention Bureau Janet Karemera tells me events such as Meetings Africa offers the continent a great opportunity to restart the sector. She points to Rwanda’s impressive vaccination drive and other initiatives as being critical to an accelerated tourism recovery.
 

During the just ended 16th Meetings Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, I caught up with the CEO of Millat Investments Hamza Faroouqi who shared his impression of the event and his organization’s commitment to the tourism industry.
A tourism trailblazer, Hamza Farooqui, has put his years of experience in the hospitality and tourism sector to good use, with this industry in South Africa benefiting from his wily yet focused entrepreneurial approach.
Not letting the Covid-19 pandemic scupper any of his plans, Farooqui, the CEO of global venture capital and investment firm, Millat Investments, has been the driving force behind the opening of three Hyatt branded properties in Cape Town and Johannesburg in the last 18 months.
Farooqui, eats, sleeps, and drinks tourism and hospitality and is focused on creating opportunities in the sector and ensuring economic growth for all involved.
 

My Guest today is the Acting CEO of the Zambia Tourism Agency Chavunga Lungu. Mr. Lungu looks at MICE as a strategic part of Zambia’s tourism products and their participation at meetings Africa gives credence to that. He reveals other initiatives such as slashing of visa fees and a seamless e-visa program as major commitments by the government to make tourism a key economic driver.