Ms Hulisani Thabela
Tourism Strategist | Destination Development & Marketing |
Public Sector Innovation

Hulisani Thabela is a seasoned tourism strategist and destination development practitioner with 24 years of experience spanning tourism strategy, destination marketing, market research, international tourism promotion and business events.

Her career spans national tourism institutions, local government, non-profit organisations and the private sector, giving her a broad understanding of the tourism ecosystem and the partnerships needed to build competitive destinations.

She began her career at South African Tourism, contributing to tourism strategy, international marketing and foundational tourism research initiatives.

At the City of Tshwane, she has played a key role in advancing destination development and marketing, strengthening industry partnerships and pioneering innovative approaches to tourism promotion within the resource realities of local government.

A strong advocate for reimagining local government's role in tourism, Hulisani was instrumental in advancing tourism's inclusion in the G20 Urban20 process, reinforcing the role of cities in driving inclusive, sustainable tourism and economic development.

Her continental industry engagement includes four years on the board of the African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AAVEA), where she contributed to strategic turnaround efforts of the association, industry advocacy and strengthening the association's institutional role. This experience has given her valuable grounding in non-profit governance and collaborative industry leadership, alongside a commitment to advancing Africa's visitor attractions sector.