Skål International awards Premier Alan Winde the prestigious annual Karl Twiggs Award

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde together with Lavonne Wittmann, Past Skål International World President 2019 - receiving the 2022 Skål International Karl Twiggs Award at The Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town

With the tourism recovery in full swing in the Mother City and South Africa lifting its State of Disaster regulations at midnight on the 04th of April 2022, the Skål International Cape Town club was thrilled to host a members networking event on 12 April 2022 at the iconic Cullinan Hotel. This event is hosted during the first in-person international trade show to be hosted in South Africa since the start of the pandemic in 2020: WTM Africa 2022.

Premier of the Western Cape, Premier Alan Winde, was instrumental in guiding the recovery programme of the Western Cape over the last 24 months and placed strategic pressure on various bodies and arms of government to ease restrictions and allow for accelerated tourism industry rehabilitation – in a sector that provides major jobs throughout its interconnected value chain.

Therefore, at this prestigious event that brought together Skål International members and delegates from all over the globe, Skål International, together with its South African oversight division and Cape Town club was honoured to present the globally recognised Karl Twiggs Award to Premier Alan Winde for his efforts within the travel and tourism industry.

The annual floating trophy was presented by the President of Skål International Cape Town, Dawn Smith, together with Lavonne Wittmann, Past Skål International World President 2019.

Premier Winde noted that “it was a team effort to coordinate all Provincial resources to fight for every job and every possible recovery opportunity. We value the importance of this sector, not just in the Western Cape, but globally, and while we fully understand the impact of the virus on the health of our people, it is equally important to push for economic stability. This award comes at a key milestone just as South Africa announced the end of the two-year State of Disaster. A special thanks also goes to our Minister Nomafrench Mbombo.”

Dawn Smith of Skål International Cape Town added that she is “hoping to see the industry boom as the sector reignites its passion for people! Tourism is about relationships and the people that work in it, who are resilient beings in every sense of the word, made up of strength, compassion, and inspiration. It’s a brand new day for the tourism industry.

Skål International was founded in 1934 and is the largest community of travel and tourism professionals that gather monthly on city club level and leverage global connections and networks to promote tourism: doing business amongst friends.

The Karl Twiggs Award is named after the 2004 President of Skål International who introduced the accolade to be bestowed on an individual and / or group that has made an invaluable contribution to the sector.

Delegates at the event on Tuesday 12 April 2022 shared recovery stories and strategies of the last two years, reconnected at a personal level and discussed the roadmap to full recovery while WTM Africa was hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Center from 11 to 13 April 2022.

Skål International Cape Town club committee: President Dawn Smith and Vice Presidents Nicci Fourie and Johan van Schalkwyk with Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde at the 2022 Skål International gathering hosted during WTM Africa 2022 – receiving the internationally recognised Karl Twiggs award.

Skål International Cape Town President Dawn Smith and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde at The Cullinan Hotel during the Skål International networking event on 12 April 2022.

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