Didimala Game Lodge receives recognition for innovation.
The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) introduced the Tourism Investment Awards. These awards recognise and reward companies and individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to lifting the profile of the tourism industry through promoting growth, investment, innovation and excellence, across all tourism sectors. The awards foster a sense of unity towards realising a shared vision of growth and excellence for the South African tourism industry.
Didimala Game Lodge was nominated for the Project Of Excellence and Innovation category and was chosen as one of the three national finalists who attended the Awards ceremony on the 1st of October 2007 at the Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel Cape Town.
The Project of Excellence and Innovation awards category gives recognition to a project/concept that having recognised a need and opportunity has been implemented and represents innovative and value adding advancement in terms of the manner in which a tourism product/ service is provided.
The project must represent a 'new' way of doing things and/or represents a new form of product / service offering in the industry. It must demonstrate sustainability and positively contribute to the empowerment of previously disadvantaged persons and communities.
According to Colin Marincowitz, owner of Didimala Game Lodge it was apparent during wide-ranging market research for Didimala that successful lodges in Southern Africa were competing on differentiating factors and unique selling points. Respondents in a Grant Thornton survey rated unique architecture as one of the most important decision factors when guests chose a venue.
The achieved "look and feel" of the massive and solid straw bale walls has been a successful marketing tool and makes for charming conversation, instantly revealing its silent appeal to visitors to tell others after they depart from Didimala.
"Our registered trademark and logo is 'keep the secret', and we have deliberately adopted an unassuming pose in the Lodge & Tourism Industry where we quietly make every effort every day to become better at providing service excellence to our esteemed guests," Mr Marincowitz added.
