Amadeus IT Group today announced a historic initiative that will see the creation of a new model for public-private collaboration in the tourism industry in South Africa. This partnership will initially develop a new, National Tourism Visitor Information System (NTVIS). In addition, a new Travel and Tourism Training Academy will be established to accelerate skills development and create career opportunities for young South Africans in the industry.
The development of the NTVIS will comprise the Tourism Information Portal and App; the Tourism Data Hub; and the Rural/SMME Booking System and Business App.
The second initiative will be The Travel and Tourism Training Academy; a key factor in implementing the NTVIS. It is also fundamental in the promotion of jobs in strategic and key areas of need.
The academy will be aligned with industry skills needs, Human Resource Development Strategy (HRDS), and is aligned to the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS).
Key to the academy is the active involvement and participation of the industry in ensuring that all skills training is done for specific purpose and the industry absorbs graduates (Training for purpose).
The collaboration between the Amadeus IT Group, tourism industry stakeholders, and the National Department of Tourism will be the first of its kind.
Addressing the media and tourism industry at the 2018 Tourism Indaba, Svend Leirvaag, VP Industry Affairs, Amadeus IT Group, said: “At the very core of everything we do at Amadeus, is a commitment to transformational, sustainable and inclusive growth of global travel and tourism. This initiative is a ground-breaking and innovative model for public-private collaboration that will see the tourism industry in South Africa further commit itself to a sustainable and viable future. We are proud to be a part of this initiative.”
Elaborating, CEO of Thebe Tourism Group, who will act as the South African administrator and enabler of the project on behalf of Amadeus, Jerry Mabena, said: “The NTVIS and training academy initiative is the first step towards a grand vision of an inclusive, transformed, information-driven tourism industry that creates career opportunities for all South Africans. The project is the tourism industry’s collaborative response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s clarion call for the private sector to create jobs as the country embarks on the path to economic recovery. The platform will use a variety of different modules used to capture data, curate and analyse the data, and feedback to registered users, providing valuable insights into the services and business needs of the tourism industry. Simultaneously the needs of the tourist are served on multiple levels: from research to booking, in-destination requirements and ultimately post-visit support.”
With initial financing resulting from Amadeus’ reinvestment obligations under the National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP), the initiative aims to create tangible economic impact at all levels of society and particularly in rural areas, bringing much-needed technology and skills to boost entrepreneurship and employment in the tourism sector.
The tourism industry in all sectors are invited to participate in this initiative and join this new collaborative effort.
