Tourism learners will be travelling to Germany

Two winners of the Annual Tourism Research Award will be travelling to Munich, Germany in November 2010. The competition was run by Global Travel and Tourism Partnership South Africa (GTTPSA), non-profit organisation.  Deputy Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa, awarded the winners at the World Tourism Day celebration in Polokwane on 27 September 2010, acknowledging September as Tourism and Environmental month.  

Candice Smit and Jessica Ngalo, Grade 11 learners from Klerksdorp High School in North West, will be accompanied by their teacher, Mr Rudi Meyer to Germany to represent South Africa at the annual GTTP student conference. This is where the winners will present their project to other tourism students from other countries. “I am very excited and happy about winning this competition,” Ngalo says, “I get emotional when I think about it since I have never been to Germany before.”

The annual research competition requires learners to complete a project on a specific topic. This year’s topic was ‘Green Tourism – fact or fad?’.  The learners were required to discuss this topic in an article that would be suitable for a consumer travel magazine.  In addition, the winners went a step further and created their own mock travel magazine with content focusing on green tourism issues such as green-washing, being a green traveller and practicing responsible tourism in the hospitality and tourism industries.

“We are delighted with the quality of the winning project,” Lisa Gordon-Davis, National Director of GTTPSA said. “Jessica and Candice are worthy winners of the competition. We know they will do us proud in Germany”

The GTTPSA is a member of the GTTP, a global non-profit organisation that works closely with educational authorities in supporting tourism teachers in schools.  The international organisation has 12 member countries that all offer tourism courses in high schools.  About 300 000 Grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils are learning about tourism in South African schools.