Ernie Heath

ERNIE HEATH "is a Professor and Head of the Department of Tourism Management at the University of Pretoria and also serves on the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Education Council. He has extensive tourism experience, particularly in the spheres of community tourism development, strategic tourism management and destination marketing.

"Prior to joining the University, he was Director of the Institute for Planning Research at the University of Port Elizabeth and Deputy Executive Director of South African Tourism. He is co-author of eight books on tourism; has delivered more than sixty papers at international conferences and has published more than one hundred research, consultancy and other reports in this field.

"Recognition that he has received for his tourism work include the Skål International Presidential Award for his contribution to the development of tourism in South Africa; a Fellowship from the Tourism Society of Britain; the Chairman’s Award from the Indian Ocean Tourism Organization (IOTO) for compiling IOTO’s first strategic plan; a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Themis Award; and a Laureates Award from the University of Pretoria for Innovation in Teaching. Ernie has been associated with Open Africa from the very start, having been part of the original think tank that conceptualized the initiative."


 * Director, Open Africa