Durban — The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) recently published a new national standard, SANS:18513, that sets out the vocabulary for hotels and other types of tourism accommodation.
The SABS said that when going on holiday and booking your accommodation, do you understand the difference between a homestay, holiday home, couch sharing, apartment hotel, a holiday cottage, camping, glamping or the multitude of other descriptions used in tourist accommodation?
SABS, through its Technical Committee, SABS TC 228, Tourism standards, has recently published a new national standard, SANS:18513, that sets out the vocabulary for hotels and other types of tourism accommodation, the bureau said.
It said that according to the Department of Tourism, tourism contributes 3.7% to the South African gross domestic product, employing more than one million people and is a sector that is growing. In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, the global tourism sector was estimated at $8.9 trillion.
It also said that SANS 18513 had been adopted from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and provided the definitions to create a common understanding of the various accommodation types and facilities.
The SABS said that the national standard includes definitions for half board, suites, junior suites, early check-in, mini-bar service, accessible rooms, air conditioning, gyms and a range of other commonly found amenities that applies to the tourism sector.
SABS acting chief executive Sadhvir Bissoon explained: “The tourism sector evolves on a regular basis as new experiences and types of facilities emerge, and it is important that there is a globally accepted and used common vocabulary. A common set of terms, especially identifying types of accommodation and the facilities, will improve the tourist experience as consumers can adequately find the right accommodation to meet their needs and allow service providers to correctly advertised their offerings.”
SANS 18513 can be purchased from the SABS webstore, via www.sabs.co.za
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