GENERAL
STAR-STUDDED
CONFIDENCE
SOUTH AFRICA SHINES WITH STAR-GRADED CONFIDENCE! IT’ S QUALITY ASSURANCE THAT GUARANTEES VALUE, TRUST, AND WORLD-CLASS TRAVEL EXPERIENCES.
Every summer, South Africa welcomes a surge of travellers. Local families head for beach holidays, couples explore wine routes and international delegates arrive for high-level business meetings. The tourism industry faces a clear challenge: how to convince travellers to book with confidence, ensuring that every guest gets what they paid for
For Bronwen Auret, Chief Quality Assurance Officer at the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa( TGCSA), the answer comes down to one idea, and that is quality assurance.
“ Grading provides the guarantee within the customer experience,” Auret explains.“ When you’ re spending your hard-earned cash, you want to make sure you’ re getting what you paid for. Those norms and standards are critical for the customer experience.”
Why grading matters
For travel agents, tour operators, event planners, and other trade partners, graded establishments mean one thing above all: reliability across eight categories of accommodation and venues – from hotels and self-catering apartments to campsites, game lodges, conference centres and meeting venues.
South Africa’ s star grading system is a trusted benchmark that helps travellers know exactly what to expect from an establishment. Whether it’ s a guesthouse in the Karoo, a hotel on the beachfront, or a camping ground on the outskirts of a
18 TRADE & TASTE / 2026