Brett Tungay’s dedication to the hospitality industry is unmistakable. Having been immersed in the sector since childhood, he embodies a rich legacy of commitment and passion for hospitality. “I was born into it. I am the third generation of my family working in the hospitality industry, and I’ve been working since I was about six years old. I’ve been running the family’s resort, Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort up in the Drakensberg, since 2006,” he shares.
Before stepping into the role of national chairperson, succeeding the esteemed Rosemary Anderson, Brett’s involvement with the Federation of Hospitality Associations of Southern Africa (FEDHASA) was extensive. He served on the FEDHASA East Coast Board from 2005 to 2006 and held the position of East Coast chairperson since 2017.
Challenges Ahead
As he transitions into this prominent position, Brett acknowledges the significant challenges the hospitality industry currently faces. “We’ve got a lot of labour issues, we’ve got legislative issues, we’ve got marketing issues, we’ve got SA Tourism issues. So yes, there’s quite a load of issues at the moment that the industry is dealing with,” he states candidly.
Fortunately, Brett believes in the strength of collaboration. “Luckily, we’ve got a good team with the other two regional chairs and our staff at FEDHASA, which will help us manage these issues as they arise,” he adds.
A Vision for the Future
What does Brett envision for the future of FEDHASA? His answer is rooted in advocacy and representation. “To remain the leading representative body of the hospitality industry to government and to ensure that we have an enabling environment for tourism within legislation and policy. That is our main reason and intent as an organisation, and that’s what we’re going to carry on doing.”
He elaborates on the layers of responsibility FEDHASA must tackle: “You know, making sure that at a municipal level we have water and sanitation and basic service provisions, to your provincial level, which is mostly liquor and business legislation, and then up to national level. We need to make sure that we’re heard and that we make the necessary noises at all levels of government for an enabling environment for the hospitality industry.”
Navigating Legal Matters
Brett emphasises the importance of legal advocacy as part of FEDHASA’s mandate, revealing that the organisation is actively engaged in multiple court cases. “We’ve got two on the labour side with Bargaining Councils to ensure our members are represented correctly. We are essentially arguing that the councils are trying to extend their reach beyond their representation. We maintain that they lack the authority to become those overriding or governing bargaining councils for large sections of our industry,” he explains.
Additionally, he highlights a pressing issue concerning the South African Music Rights Organization (SAMRO). “The other big case we’re tackling is with SAMRO, which seeks to classify hotel and room spaces as public areas – something we definitely disagree with.”
To further strengthen their advocacy efforts, FEDHASA employs a legal specialist who monitors governmental updates. “Our legal specialist reviews every government, provincial, and municipal gazette to filter out legislation affecting the tourism and hospitality sectors. And we make comments on all of that to make sure that legislation that’s coming through is friendly to the industry.”
Collaboration is Key
For Brett, FEDHASA’s collaboration with other industry stakeholders is vital to success. “We must avoid trying to operate in silos. Yes, we have certain niches within the broader tourism environment, but at the end of the day, we all need to cooperate to create an enabling environment for everyone to flourish. If people try to go it alone, we won’t achieve the impact needed.”
He passionately advocates for the economic potential of tourism in South Africa, noting, “Tourism and hospitality provide perhaps the number one growth potential for our country. As everyone knows, unemployment is currently the greatest threat to our country’s stability. We need to make a dent in those numbers, and tourism is arguably the leading sector capable of achieving that.”
Brett also highlights recent progress with electronic visas. “We’ve been working towards the new electronic visas that have recently launched. While still in the testing phase, they promise to streamline international travel, particularly from key markets like China and India. Our current arrival numbers from these countries are dismal, and if we can effectively roll out these digital visas, we could significantly boost visitor numbers, potentially reaching hundreds of thousands.”
The Importance of a Positive Message
With global leaders set to gather in South Africa for the G20 Summit, coupled with the impending peak summer tourist season, Brett has a pivotal message for the industry. “We, as a collective, need to present a positive narrative about our destination – not just domestically but internationally. There’s a tendency among South Africans to downplay our own offerings, yet we possess an amazing product to market.”
He continues, “If you look at the post-COVID tourism landscape, South Africa has fallen behind. It’s up to us as an industry – everyone from chefs to waitstaff, concierges to housekeeping – to spread a positive message about hospitality. By doing so, we can shift perceptions and drive economic growth.”
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