IT IS one thing to promote the empowerment of women in the tourism industry from the top down, and quite another to take the plunge as an entrepreneur. As two award-winning Soweto guesthouse proprietors found out, the barriers to market entry may be relatively low, but sustainability can prove tricky in an increasingly competitive market. The answer, it turns out, is for women to stand together.

“I began running a guesthouse in 2002 when I was retrenched from my regular job,” said Neo Mamashela, who runs Neo’s B&B in Orlando West. “When my sister was put up in a guesthouse after relocating for her job, I saw the accommodation she was in and got the idea to open up a guesthouse myself. I used my own savings to begin with, because I could not get finance.”

Mamashela felt the tourism industry was still male-dominated, and still difficult to enter for many women because of the lack of access to finance.

“There is a general lack of confidence in the sustainability of many businesses in the tourism and hospitality industries. I have found that many women who have since followed our example were also unemployed or retrenched.”

Tourism Business Council of South Africa CEO Mmatsatsi Marobe said South Africa lagged behind the rest of the world in loosening up technicalities in providing finance for entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, especially women.

“The same applies for most black-owned enterprises. People are afraid to take risks because nobody will back them, which prevents potentially great SMEs from developing into larger businesses,” said Marobe.

Botle Guest House proprietor Ellen Mabiletsa also found herself alone at first.

“This business actually found me. The idea originally came about when I had to accommodate my parents. I made all improvements to my home with my own finances, partly helped by my father, who was an excellent handyman. My existing four bedrooms and cottage at the back needed to be improved to make space for two families. After my parents died I often accommodated friends or family in need of a place to stay, and I was discovered by the Homestay Summit.”

When the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa came to Soweto in 2002, one of Mabiletsa’s friends in the Soweto Accommodation Association urged her to start a guesthouse.

“I registered my business the next year, the ninth person in Soweto to do so. In 2004 I entered the AA Travel Guide Awards and won in the Modern category. I received further accolades in the years since then, and this year I was entered into the Hall of Fame. I have been upgraded from Highly Recommended to a Superior establishment. I currently have a grading of three stars under the National Accommodation Association, and I’m a member of various other industry bodies,” she said.

Mamashela, a founder member of the Soweto Accommodation Association, started the organisation with like-minded women and a man who intended to open a restaurant.

“We wanted to provide complementary and packaged services,” she said.

This strategy has proved effective, as Mabiletsa attests. “An example of cross-benefits is Nambitha restaurant, which incentivises us to bring in guests for dinner by offering us a free plate for every group we bring in. The commission really motivates the ladies.”

A close network has proved beneficial for all. “There is now a group of more than 30 members in Soweto, with even more currently being graded. We help out by visiting new establishment owners and advising them on how to meet industry standards. In hospitality, the building is really the only difficult aspect, but one room and one bathroom is enough to start with,” said Mabiletsa.

First published on Times Live