Industry Resources
Connecting with Hessequa Tourism on Social Media
Hessequa Tourism’s Social Media Program focuses on stimulating conversations about Hessequa through key platforms, currently Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Upload your photos directly from your business Facebook profile to the Hessequa Tourism Facebook page and participate in fan conversations on our wall.
Hashtag your Facebook photos with #ExploreHessequa for the opportunity to be featured on the Hessequa Tourism profile.
Tweet your news or any interesting images to @ExploreHessequa on Twitter and tag us into your Instagram (IG) post on @hessequa_tourism.
Guest House
A Guest House is either a existing house, converted house or has purposely been build as a residential dwelling to provide overnight accommodation, must have more than three rooms, meals and beverages must be provided and the public areas are for the exclusive use of the guests. A Guest House is a commercial operation that is owner managed. The owner/manager either lives off-site or in a separate area within the property.
Hotel
A hotel provides formal accommodation to the traveling public, has a reception area, en-suite bathrooms and offers a dining facility. Servicing of rooms must be done 7 days a week. In general a hotel makes food and beverage services available to guests, these may be outsourced or provided by the hotel. A hotel must have a minimum of 4 rooms.
Lodge
A Lodge is a formal accommodation facility located in natural surroundings, beyond that of the immediate garden. The rates charged are usually inclusive of an experience offered at the Lodge, with daily serviced rooms. In general food and beverage services is provided.
Restaurant
A Restaurant is an establishment offering varying types and levels of service, including a meet and greet service and serving food and beverages in a designated eating area. If the restaurant chooses to serve alcohol it must have an alcohol license. A restaurant must have a sub-brand which indicates the type of food served, eg. Italian Food.
Self-Catering Accommodation
A house, chalet, bungalow, flat, studio, villa, houseboat, tents or similar accommodation where facilities and equipment are provided for guests to cater for themselves, with the owner/manager contactable 24/7. The facilities should be adequate to cater for the maximum advertised number of residents the facility can accommodate. Bathroom facilities may or may not be en-suite and or private.
Special Events
A special event venue is a purpose built or adapted facility that can accommodate a special event, indoor and or outdoor, with facilities for attendees to sit and or stand in order to view the event. Special events includes; Sporting events, concerts and religious gatherings.
Definitions of Accommodation
Official definitions of accommodations facilities as laid out by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. Kindly note: Only establishments that cater for transient guests (travelling public) are considered under the following definitions.
B&B
Bed and Breakfast accommodation is more informal accommodation with limited services that is provided in a family (private) home with the owner/manager living in the house or on the property. Breakfast is usually served. The bathroom facilities must be en-suite. If not, exclusive use of bathroom facilities per room is ensured. In general the guest shares the public areas with the host family.
Backpackers and Hostels
A Backpackers and Hostel is an accommodation facility that provides communal facilities, including dormitories yet may offer a range of alternative sleeping arrangements.
Caravan and Camping
Caravan and camping accommodation is a facility that provides ablution and toilet facilities and space for guests to provide for their own accommodation, such as a tent, motor home and or caravan. There should be a meet and greet service.
Conference Centre
A facility that provides a dedicated environment for meetings, especially small to medium sized events. Dedicated meeting and breakaway rooms are designed for maximum productivity. To minimise distractions, these rooms tend to be separated from food service facilities and high traffic areas.
Meeting rooms are clustered near one another and interspersed with informal gathering spaces, such as lounges, patios and courtyards. This layout encourages interaction and networking among attendees, even those participating in different meetings. Separate dining facilities must be available to accommodate conference groups on a flexible meeting schedule at the convenience of each group and to accommodate the capacity of the conference facility for lunch in no more than two groups of one hour each.
Country House
A Country House is either a existing house, converted house or purposely been build as a residential dwelling to provide overnight accommodation which has public areas for the exclusive use of the guests. A Country House is situated in natural, peaceful surroundings, such as near a lake or nature reserve and offers all the services of a hotel, including dinner.
Exhibition Centre
This is a facility whose purpose it is to host trade shows, public shows, conventions and other large functions and that combines exhibition space with a substantial number of smaller meeting and event spaces. A convention centre may be purpose built or converted. It will generally not have accommodation. Convention centres typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate large numbers of attendees. They typically have at least one auditorium and may also contain concert halls, lecture halls, meeting and conference rooms.
TGCSA Star Grading
Be it a hotel, bed & breakfast, self-catering, caravan and camping or conference venue that you own, or run, the advantages of being graded by the TGCSA are endless. For one, you’ll be pleased to know that once your establishment has been graded by one of the Accredited Grading Assessors and displays the TGCSA Star insignia, it takes a single glance for local and international visitors to recognize your quality and service excellence.
Some of the benefits of TGCSA Star Grading:
– National and International recognision of service excellence
– Marketing value and use of the awarded plague
– Possibility of receiving re-imbursements from the grading council
– Star grading is a requirement for accommodation facilities, wanting to apply for official tourism signage along Provincial and National roads.
Getting Grading Ready in Two Steps:
Terms and Conditions
2. The form comprises of various sections – A to G – but constitutes an entity and no leaf or section thereof may be detached or substituted.
3. To enable the Applicant to decide on any symbol the LTO shall make available to him/her for inspection:
(a) A copy of the approved symbols;
(b) A copy of the approved warrants;
(c) A list of approved sign makers.
4. The Applicant’s attention is directed to the following:
(a) Section A: requires information from the Applicant and he must complete this section.
(b) Section B: is a copy of the agreement that the Applicant must conclude with the relevant Road Authority. The Applicant must note that the sign becomes the property of the Road Authority when it has been erected within the road reserve.
(c) Section C+D: must be submitted – by the Applicant – to the Local Municipality and District Municipality for certification.
5. When Section A to D has been completed the Applicant shall return the form to the LTO for completion and recommendation. Depending on the answers to the questions set out in Section A paragraph 4(3) and (4) – an inspection may have to be done by the LTO or at its request.
6. The LTO must then complete Section E and make a recommendation:
(a) If the recommendation is that the application is refused, then the reasons for such a recommendation shall be recorded as well as any suggestions for amendment(s) of the application by the Applicant.
(b) If the recommendation is that the application be granted, then the application plus annexures must be forwarded to the Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) thereafter to the Regional Tourism Committee (RTLC).
7. The RTLC comprised of representatives from the Tourism Structures, the Road Authorities and the Local Authorities – will consider the application and make a recommendation.
8. Should the RTLC recommend that the application not be accepted it must record the reasons for its decision and make suggestions to the Applicant for any amendment(s) to the application. The Applicant is advised hereof.
9. Should the application be recommended for acceptance by the relevant Road Authority, the Applicant is advised hereof and he will then negotiate with the relevant road authority to have the signage specifications made and approved.
10. The Applicant may then submit these specifications to the sign maker of his choice – from the list approved by the Road Authorities – for construction.
11. After the sign has been constructed it must be delivered to the relevant Road Authority for erection.
12. The Applicant is liable for the costs of construction and erection of the sign.
13. Provided that all the required information has been furnished timeously the period from submission of the application form till consideration by the RTLC should not exceed 2 months.
Tourism Road Signage
The Government, tourism departments and private concerns have recognised the potential of tourism. It is very important to the South African economy because it creates jobs, promotes goodwill and develops an international and local awareness of South Africa’s natural and cultural heritage.
Tourism Signing, being a part of information distribution, is one of more significant issues within the tourism industry, especially for small to medium facilities located in the Western Cape. Kindly note that tourism signage (the brown boards you see on the side of the road) is not to promote businesses, but rather to assist visitors in the final stages of their journey. These boards can only be approved/rejected by Provincial Government: Western Cape (PG:WC) and South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL).
Tourism establishments in Hessequa can apply for signage by following the steps outlined below:
1.Owners of tourism facilities and/or attractions who wish to apply for a Tourism Road Sign must do so through their Local Tourism Office (LTO). If the application applies to an attraction of national importance or a Tourism route or area, which may involve a number of facilities and or attractions, the application is forwarded to the local Regional Tourism Office (RTO) for further processing. The first step in the procedure is for the LTO to carry out a preliminary investigation. The purpose of this investigation is to establish whether there is likely to be any serious objection to the application.
2. Applicant downloads a copy of the approved symbols and warrants to see if he/she qualifies and for which symbol.
The following are application forms to be downloaded and completed:
Provincial Application Form
Provincial Conditions Form
SANRAL Application Form
Tourism Warrant Guide
Based on the LTO’s recommendation, the Application may be refused (in which case reasons will be given). If accepted, the Application with its Annexures (in duplicate) will be forwarded to the relevant road authority and Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) for assessment.
4. The Application will finally be considered at the next meeting of the Regional Tourism Liaison Committee (RTLC).
5. Should the RTLC not recommend approval, the Applicant will be notified and given the reasons. Should the RTLC approve the Application, the Applicant will be advised to liaise with the relevant road authority for erecting the sign.
6. The onus is on the Applicant to make arrangements with an approved manufacturer for making the sign and delivering it to the road authority.
7. All costs for constructing, installing and maintaining the sign shall be met by the Applicant.
8. The following documents should be submitted along with the relevant application form: Zoning Certificate; Tourism Grading Certificate (Accommodation); Liquor License; Certificate of Acceptability.
Hosting Events in Hessequa
Special events are widely recognised as being a growth sector of the tourism industry with potential to generate substantial economic benefit for the city, region or community involved. This wider recognition of ‘events tourism’ has also heralded a continually expanding number of new events in the Western Cape – in all regions particularly the Cape Winelands, Cape Town, Overberg and the Garden Route & Klein Karoo – as these communities have identified opportunities to tap into the visitor market. Special events form part of the ‘attraction’ component of the tourism industry. In certain areas where natural and/or built attractions are limited, special events have proven to draw an increased number of visitors to these places.
In Hessequa, the Municipality aims to support those events which aligns with the goals of Spatial and Economic Development Department, as well as provincial strategic outcomes for economic development and job creation.
This support can either be non-financial in terms of letters of reference, promotion through our channels, etc. and/or financial in terms of funding or subsidising the cost of Municipal services required for your event. The department also communicates external funding opportunities from other institutional bodies to existing event organisers where possible.
So where do you start?
If you have an idea for an event have a look at the steps below:
- What goes into the planning of an event
- A brief overview of what to consider in your event plan
- The various services involved in hosting a successful event (and their contact details which you will need)
- An Application Form should you require support
- An Event Risk Assessment and Action Plan Guide, which is required by law should your event exceed the number of 60 participants/spectators in a public space or private venue, with attendance impacting on Municipal services and neighbors. The completed application form is to be forwarded to the Law Enforcement Section at Hessequa Municipality with email address frikkie@hessequa.gov.za
If you would like to add your tourism event in Hessequa to the tourism calendar on this website for free, you can send an email to riaan@hessequa.gov.za and we’ll add the event within 3 working days to the events calendar.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any enquiries.
