TEP – Tourism Enterprise Programme

TEP has worked with large numbers of SMMEs and has identified the following as the most common constraints faced by them:

• Lack of access to information. The implication of this, as was noted in the 2002 Annual Review of the Tourism Industry’s Empowerment and Transformation Charter, is that “black SMMEs may lose business opportunities due to lack of access to information about tourism related tenders, events, products or initiatives”;
• Lack of understanding of market requirements. Markets include individual tourists, tour operators/brokers, corporate and Government buyers. SMMEs do not have effective channels of communication with these markets and consequently have a poor appreciation of their needs and the opportunities presented by them, as well as accessing them;
• Lack of access to finance. This has been highlighted by Rogerson and others as one of the most significant barriers to the growth of the SMME sector and the transformation of the industry;
• Lack of credibility and reputation in the market. Tour operators are reluctant to deal with tourism enterprises that are not graded or properly insured and licensed and which are not members of an accrediting organisation such as SATSA. Many SMMEs do not appreciate the importance of these requirements and tend to be marginalised as a result;
• Lack of critical size. SMMEs are often too small to warrant attention by tour operators and their individual marketing spend is inadequate. They need assistance to organise themselves routes or clusters so they can market themselves collectively; and
• Limited access to affordable business services. Very often, the only time an SMME makes use of business services such as product design, training, marketing or accounting is when they are assisted by programmes such as TEP to do so. Service providers generally do not see SMMEs as an attractive market segment and do not provide services specifically for them. TEP’s challenge is to determine how to best support SMMEs so that they can realize their full potential.

TEP Toolkits

TEP has several TOOLKITS available and of interest to SAACI members. These are downloadable free of charge.

In Particular:

• TEP T03 Website Planning - download document.
• TEP T04 Business Planning in the Tourism Industry - download document.
• TEP T05 Legalities and Compliance in the Tourism Industry - download document.

TEP Training Workshops for SMMEs

In respect of skills development and training requirements, TEP implements a comprehensive and holistic training programme, funded by DEAT, specifically aimed at tourism SMMEs. The objective of the programme is to develop tourism enterprises to become sustainable and to promote skills development, quality and transformation in the tourism industry.

Local and International Exhibition Training:

Aimed at: Tourism enterprises who are considering participating in a local or international trade show or exhibition (such as Indaba or World Travel Market)

What does it offer: A framework for guiding the decision to participate in an exhibition A framework for helping the participant to prepare for the exhibition How to optimise benefits derived from attending an exhibition Guidelines on post exhibition follow up

Duration: 1 to 3 days

Cost: Sponsored by provincial tourism authorities

Business Training - Intermediate: Aimed at:

This is for owner/managers who have completed the Beginner's programme and are now ready to further their knowledge (at least six months experience of managing a tourism business is a condition for continued participation);
OR
some of the modules may be useful for someone in business who would like to refresh their understanding of the concepts of managing a tourism business at a more advanced level

What does it offer: Four modules, expanding on the beginner level modules, covering: Human Resource management Marketing management Financial management Business management

Duration: One day Modules are offered on a flexible basis so that the participant has time to apply the concepts learnt before signing up for the next module To complete the Intermediate programme, the participant needs to complete all subjects

Cost: R80 per module

Tourism Awareness Workshops:

Aimed at: New entrants to tourism i.e. new or existing businesses or individuals that have never worked in the tourism sector before

What does it offer: Understanding of what TOURISM is about Understanding of what, if any, business opportunities exist in tourism I Information of who to contact if an opportunity in tourism is to be explored further

Duration: One day workshops

Cost: Free

Contact TEP today to See What is on Offer in Your Province

Disclaimer:
Whilst SAACI has provided these links to these resources as a service to viewers, it must be understood that SAACI accepts no responsibility for the content of these websites and/or documents, or for any incorrect information they may contain, or for any damage arising there-from.