BULELANI SILANGWE

I have just over 15 years’ work experience in the tourism sector, in the areas of tourism marketing and communications, as well as stakeholder management and community development. That much experience has equipped me with an innate understanding of strategic issues related to tourism management and promotion of South Africa as a tourist destination, policy and legislative sectoral issues, and the environment in which tourism operates.
I have a Bcom in Marketing Management and a Master’s degree in Development Studies. I have recently completed a program in Social Innovation at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, and currently pursuing a PhD in Development Studies with the University of the Free State. My academic research in social entrepreneurship and tourism has exposed me to an array of dynamics that are at play in tourism as an economic sector, and their implications for future development and sustainability of the sector.
In my spare time, I work for a non-profit community-based organization called the BREARD Foundation. Under the auspices of this NPO, we also organise, host and promote a series of hikes (popularly known on social media platforms as the #MpondolandHike) along the Mpondoland coastline in the Wild Coast. This is aimed at promoting adventure and eco-tourism in less-visited tourism routes among South Africans, and more importantly, ensure meaningful beneficiation of emerging tourism players in the villages along the coast.