December 9, 2005
By Anish Abraham
EDDY Khosa, the chief executive of the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC), is well versed in putting you at ease. With more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he seems the right man to help turn Joburg into a business and leisure tourism mecca.
He is no stranger to the company either - his first position at the JTC was as deputy to then chief executive Deon Viljoen. From there it was acting chief executive, before Khosa was finally appointed the head of the tourism agency in September.
A section 21 company created and owned by the City of Johannesburg, the JTC's early responsibility was to promote the city as a business destination of choice, by helping local venues secure conferences.
The conference industry is hotly contested, with Johannesburg finding itself pitted against the best in the world. The City has since expanded the agency's mandate to include leisure tourism, an area in which Johannesburg has yet to establish itself as a tourist favourite.
The key is to encourage visitors to extend their stays in the city, and that requires comprehensive and easily accessible tourist information to promote effectively the rich variety of entertainment, cultural and retail options Joburg has on offer.
Origins
Khosa's position today is a far cry from his beginnings. He began his working life as a teacher in Limpopo, before the lure of the City of Gold proved too strong.
"My dream was to come to Johannesburg to seek employment," Khosa says. His first job in the city was as a cellar attendant at the historic Sunnyside Park Hotel. From there he worked his way up to cashier, and then receptionist.
Khosa points out those were vastly different times - he had to get a letter from the local head chief near his hometown of Tzaneen to get a permit to work in the city.
Deciding to see other parts of the country, Khosa left for Cape Town in 1987, where he worked as a receptionist at the Newlands Sun Hotel. It was there that his calling came to the fore.
"I wanted to do something related to finance," Khosa explains, and completing a national diploma in accounting opened up a whole new career for him.
"I then worked at SAB as an assistant accountant for one year, before getting a job as a financial controller at the Holiday Inn Garden Court in Greenmarket Square. It was known as the Inn on the Square," he recalls.
A memorable moment was witnessing international icon Nelson Mandela being released from prison in 1990. In 1996 Khosa became the first black general manager at hotel chain Southern Sun, taking charge of the Holiday Inn Garden Court in Umtata.
This was followed by positions as general manager at Holiday Inn Garden Court Hotels in East London, Milpark, in Johannesburg, and the Johannesburg International Airport.
"It was very fascinating to have left from the township and then return to the suburbs," says Khosa. "[It is] very interesting to see so much transformation taking place."
Joburg
However, despite his vast experience in the hospitality and tourism business, the JTC is a different cup of tea, Khosa says.
"I'm not only managing a business. I have to manage people and issues over the whole city. This job gives me the opportunity to see the world and how it functions - and how best to persuade consumers to choose Johannesburg as a city of choice."
Those include both local and international tourism trade representatives and travellers themselves.
Khosa also happens to be a big fan of the inner city. He says it is a "fulfilling" experience of its own, blending shopping and entertainment in a unique way that can only be found in the CBD. "It's big, it's pumping, it's vibrant and things are fast. There's only one way to experience it: Go Downtown.
"Newtown is wonderful for me. There are so many different things to do, with the pubs, live music and theatre shows," he says.
New mandate
The JTC's new mandate is an opportunity to increase the amount of money in circulation in Soweto, he believes, which will lead to an improvement in the quality of life of its residents.
Another of the company's tasks is to promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism and hospitality industry.
"Leisure tourism gives us leverage to interact with the community. Our work is now not only about dealing with big business, but also with community members," he says.
That the Johannesburg International Airport, just 24km north-east of the city, is the main gateway to the country and the continent, will only help the JTC attain its goals.
However, to inspire tourists to chose to visit Joburg, the company needs to find ways to persuade them to spend more time in Gauteng. Khosa is extremely excited about this challenge, and says the JTC hopes to announce its new strategy by February next year.
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