AGM 2025 Minutes

IPTGSA AGM 2025 — Workshop 17 Firestation 

Agenda

25 November 2025
10:00
https://meet.google.com/xft-fnxq-jsm

1. Welcome & Apologies

2. 2024 Minutes available online   

3. Chairman’s Report 2025

   • Tourism recovery

   • Professionalisation updates

   • Educationals & activities

   • SAQA submission

   • Blue Umbrella / Tshwane Pilot

4. Financial Report

5. Membership Report

6. General Member Inputs (Questions)  

7. Election Note (Non-voting year)

8. AGM Postponement Note

9. Closing & Way Forward

Attendance and apologies 

Attendance as per the participants' list of members below 
Pam Ellenberger and Andrea Adelbert (non members)
Appologies 
Snowy Mattera, Tim Smith, Willie du Toit, Bogdan Paban, Anton Joubert, Tefo Lebogate, JJ Pietese, Mammy Raselabe,Fanie Terlanche,Piet Nel, 

AGM 2025 Chairmans Report   

Annual General Meeting — 25 November 2025
Presented by: Johan Van Biljon, Chairman of IPTGSA

1. National Context — Recovery, Renewal and Opportunity

South Africa’s tourism sector has continued its steady recovery through 2024–2025. National tourism data and the Department of Tourism’s 2025 updates show consistent growth in international arrivals, renewed domestic travel, and an increased appetite for meaningful visitor experiences.

South African Tourism has significantly expanded its international marketing footprint during this period, contributing to stronger destination visibility and a measurable upswing in demand.

For professional tourist guides, this strengthens our prospects. The recovery provides both optimism and responsibility — we must ensure we remain compliant, visible, skilled, and ready to deliver exceptional value to visitors. The guiding profession stands at an important moment: quality and professionalism are now market expectations.

2. Sector Partners and Professional Standards

Across the guiding landscape — cultural, nature, adventure, regional, and specialised — there is unmistakable momentum toward formalised, credible professional standards.

• FGASA continues to champion structured, ethical, and competency-driven standards for nature guiding.

• The adventure tourism sector, through industry associations and the voluntary Codes of Good Practice, is standardising safety frameworks, risk management protocols, and operational expectations.

• Across tourism, conservation and hospitality, partners are increasingly requiring verified qualifications, compliance, and professional conduct.

For IPTGSA, this creates leading valuable alignment. The broader industry is moving toward professionalisation — and our voice is essential in shaping national standards, training models, compliance expectations, and registration pathways.

IPTGSA must, and will, continue to act as a constructive and credible partner in these national conversations.

3. IPTGSA Activities and Achievements (2025)

2025 has been a productive and proactive year for IPTGSA, despite the operational challenges within the tourism landscape.

Successful Educational Activities

We strengthened member engagement, training exposure, and on-the-ground learning opportunities through several successful educationals:

• 6 March 2025 — Hector Pietersen Plant Project Educational

• 15 May 2025 — Simonstown Submarine Educational

• 19 June 2025 — Sterkfontein & Maropeng World Heritage Educational

• 8–9 September 2025 — Cape Town Sunset Cruise Educational

• 20 September 2025 — Bloemfontein University Tourism Exhibition & Educational

These experiences not only enrich and guide knowledge but also improve professional confidence and enhance the visitor experience.

Ongoing Social Media Promotion

Our social media presence has grown consistently, improving IPTGSA’s visibility and reinforcing our role as a national voice for professional guides.

4. SAQA Submission — A Milestone for Professionalisation

In May 2025, IPTGSA submitted its application to SAQA for recognition as a Professional Body.
We received a positive response, culminating in SAQA’s confirmation of a physical site inspection scheduled for 21 January 2026.

This represents an important step toward formal recognition of guiding as a profession and formalising standards within the national framework. We will keep members informed as this process advances — the progress thus far is extremely encouraging.

5. The Blue Umbrella Project — Tshwane Pilot

IPTGSA has received the green light to prepare and propose a planning strategy for the Blue Umbrella (Umbrella Guide) pilot for Tshwane Tourism.

The Blue Umbrella model represents:

• A structured entry-point into guiding for community members

• Site-based training with strong mentoring

• A clear pathway from NQF Level 2 upward

• A recognised, positive, community-focused identity system

• Sustainable job creation in local tourism nodes

This pilot aligns perfectly with Tshwane’s strategic tourism development goals and supports professionalisation at grassroots level. It is one of the most meaningful opportunities IPTGSA has been entrusted with — and we are ready to lead it responsibly and collaboratively.

6. Strategic Collaborations — Strengthening Our National Role

IPTGSA must continue deepening relationships across the sector:

• With FGASA  on shared professional standards

• With the adventure sector to harmonise safety, CPD, and competency expectations

• With provincial registrars to refine registration, RPL, and compliance pathways

• With municipal partners — particularly Tshwane Tourism — to expand community-based pilot models

• With industry associations and training partners, as we move toward SAQA professional body recognition

Where national tourism bodies advance professionalisation frameworks, IPTGSA must ensure our members’ voices shape these developments.

7. Membership, Volunteering and Professional Community

This year’s AGM was postponed due to many members working through the busy peak season. We apologise for any inconvenience — we prioritised ensuring that members could attend meaningfully.

Additionally, 2025 is a non-voting year, as the current committee is elected for a two-year term.

Going forward, we call on our members to:

• Support the membership drive

• Step forward as mentors for new and upcoming guides

• Volunteer for CPD, educational planning, and pilot projects

• Speak up if they are willing to serve in any supportive capacity

Our collective strength lies in the knowledge, integrity, and professionalism of our members.

8. Closing — Confidence and Purpose

As the tourism sector recovers and momentum builds nationally, IPTGSA stands at a defining moment.
With renewed industry alignment, strengthened standards, the Blue Umbrella pilot, and promising progress toward SAQA professional body status, we have every reason to be optimistic.

Let us continue to act with purpose, unity, and professionalism.
Let us continue to lead.
And let us continue to ensure that tourist guiding in South Africa is recognised as a respected and professional career, worthy of national recognition.

Thank you to every member for your support, your dedication to professionalism, and your service to our industry.

Financial Report

It was reported that the Treasurer's position is still open and that bookkeeping is done directly by the auditors Veritas in Pretoria. The official annual report is available online 

Membership report 
 

Fully paid-up members for 2025 are 27 

For the 2026 year, members who do not pay membership fees will be eliminated from the list