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Cape Town - Three South African entities held SA's name in high regard when the first annual Travvy Award winners were announced at a gala banquet at the Marriott Marquis in New York City in April.
The South African winners at the prestigious awards, were Sun International Table Bay Hotel - winning the Best City Hotel Africa & Middle East - and South African Tourism - winning the Best Country Tourism Bureau Africa & Middle East.
The awards also honoured selected individuals in these categories for being the most innovative executives in the industry.
An exclusive individual award was given to Sthu Zungu, of South African Tourism: North America, as she stepped down from her position as President of South African Tourism North America. She received an award for the 'Most Innovative Africa & Middle East Tourism Executive'.
The Travvy Awards described Zungu as a successful tourism executive saying, "She guided SAT with a firm grasp of marketing principles and a clear understanding of what makes South Africa a uniquely beautiful and exciting country."
"In her years at the helm of South Africa’s North American marketing efforts she brought poise, dignity, intelligence, focus, friendliness and style to the job. She made many friends and allies, as is evidenced by her winning of the Travvy Award."
READ: SA Tourism US country manager suspended
South African Tourism, winner of the Best Country Tourism Bureau Africa & Middle East, is described as being one of the most dynamic destination marketing organizations in the world. "It has helped to raise South Africa from a country that was practically off the tourist map 20 years ago to one of the top tourism destinations in the world, and the preferred first landing point in Africa.
Travvy Awards continued to sing South African Tourism's praises saying that they play a major role in realising Nelson Mandela’s vision of a Rainbow Nation. For this dream to be "realized in the long run," they say "economic empowerment is needed by the people of South Africa to lift them out of the stark limits of the apartheid past. There is no better hope of that empowerment than through tourism".
The awards were calculated after travel agent readers of TravelPulse, Agent@Home and Vacation Agent were asked to vote based on a ballot of those companies, agencies and individuals who entered the contest.
The votes of our readers were tabulated in February and then reviewed by a committee of our editors and travel agent readers. The winners of the first annual Travvy Awards were thereafter released to the public.
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