Content area
Full Text
Head * South African Tourism Convention Bureau
Only three months into his new role at the South African Tourism Convention Bureau, Rick Taylor is eager to focus on the multi-faceted appeal of Africa's top C&I destination.
His path to tourism began in Lausanne, Switzerland, as he studied for a diploma in hotel school management. On returning to Africa, Taylor worked in advertising agencies, including McCann-Erickson and Barker-McCormac, where clients such as Intercontinental and Budget Rentacar ensured that he had a toehold in the world of tourism.
After honing his marketing and advertising skills, Taylor faced the industry from a new perspective after leaving Johannesburg to start afresh in another scenic area: "My wife and I escaped to the Cape ten years ago and bought a charming small hotel in Hout Bay."
Hout Bay Manor hotel was transformed into a trendy property, and the demanding role of hotelier introduced Taylor to the meetings and incentives market. South Africa's hotel occupancy rate could then have best been described as soft and, in a drive to combat seasonality patterns and encourage year-round tourism, the MICE market was becoming more prominent.
Three-and-a-half years were spent converting the property into a much-demanded venue, but at the beginning...