TEP's chief executive, Dr Salifou Siddo, said: "It is only when TEP can demonstrate relevance and impact that it can achieve sustainability. Guided by these three strategic themes, TEP executed a new business plan in April 2013, which included the payment of annual administration fees from our small tourism product client base. To ensure that we offer value, TEP has embarked on the creation of new partnerships to offer increased benefits."
Small businesses proved commitment to their own growth and development with just over 670 having paid the TEP fee to date. Based on this success, TEP entered into discussions with a number of entities to create economy of scale partnerships.
"In the continuing tough economic climate, cost savings on essential services can make a big difference to the bottom line. This, coupled with increased market access, supports small businesses to achieve greater profitability and, ultimately, sustainability, transformation and job creation - TEP's main objectives," said Dr Siddo.
TEP has entered into a partnership with Sky Tiv Promark (STP) Insurance Brokers to provide a tailor-made insurance package for small tourism products. STP negotiated discounts from insurers and underwriting managers, such as Etana Insurance, and offers a 15% discount to all paid-up TEP clients. The discount reduces the premium and, ultimately, the expenses incurred by these businesses. In addition, STP Insurance Brokers will contribute a percentage of the premium back to TEP. As a non-profit company TEP will utilise this additional income in the ongoing growth and development of the small tourism businesses it assists.
TEP hopes to unveil partnerships to offer discounted legal assistance, website hosting, marketing, printing and more soon.
TEP has also secured a partnership with Shanduka Black Umbrellas to offer free listing on the Shanduka Blackpages to all its black-owned tourism clients. The Shanduka Blackpages links procurement managers to 100% black-owned companies, enhancing sales opportunities for listed businesses. The portal also provides opportunities for small businesses to develop themselves through online training and TEP is currently in discussion with Shanduka on adding tourism-specific training modules.
In 2010 TEP launched a market access initiative called South African Hidden Treasures, a grouping of over 100 unique and exciting cultural, heritage and adventure tourism products, offering visitors the opportunity to experience activities and places that authentically represent the stories and people of South Africa's past and present.
Over the past few years, the Hidden Treasures brand has gained good traction both locally and internationally. With TEP's aim of creating greater market access opportunities it is now opening up applications for new members to join the brand free of charge. As the brand continues to grow and the benefits become even more tangible, a membership fee will be introduced.
The criteria for becoming a Hidden Treasure include being a fee-paying registered member of TEP, having a unique heritage, social, cultural or adventure selling proposition, being a legal tourism SMME, proving excellent customer service and adhering to high quality standards.
Benefits of belonging to the Hidden Treasures brand are inclusions in marketing collateral, the Hidden Treasures website and TEP's marketing and public relations activities both domestically and internationally, such as exhibitions, advertising, media, introductions to trade and buyers, etc.
Apart from the above free benefits, members will be offered specialised market access services at a discounted rate. One such offering is the all-platform-portal that TEP is launching today, called Touch South Africa (www.touchsouthafrica.co.za).
Touch South Africa is a scalable custom-designed content-management platform that allows members to update their own information. It uses cutting-edge visual display and intuitive search that follows best practises of the world's leading social engines. Offering the amalgamation of business profiles with Google maps and social media pages it summarises everything into one digital business card. The portal provides multiple ways in which members can be contacted and uses tools such as SMS response and vouchers to track visitor interest and conversions accurately.
Touch South Africa is accessible across all platforms, including desktop, tablet and mobile smartphones. SMS the word "tep" to 34016 and your phone will be linked to the site. It operates as a sharing platform that allows visitors and members to share across the world's top-30 social sharing platforms. In development is a TEP-branded payment gateway with call centre to support e-commerce.
TEP has announced that its existing Hidden Treasures members have already been uploaded to Touch South Africa and that there will be no fees for this specialised market access initiative until April 2014.
TEP will actively market Touch South Africa during its European and Asian marketing missions in October and November this year where more than 500 trade and tourism buyers will be exposed to this destination marketing effort. Through the portal potential travellers and trade partners can meaningfully engage directly with the Hidden Treasures of South Africa ensuring a personal experience and creating a greater sense of community.
"In line with the imperative to innovate in order to stay relevant, TEP will continue to develop value-add partnerships and greater market access opportunities. We believe that these benefits will assist small tourism business to growth and contribute meaningfully to the National Development Plan and the National Tourism Sector Strategy's job creation and transformation objectives," concluded Dr Siddo.
