Collaborate – Innovate – Disrupt: Propel to 2020. This was the dialogue that buzzed among aviation professionals at the 2019 Board of Airline Representative of South Africa (BARSA) Aviation Summit on Thursday 28 February 2019.
The one-day BARSA Aviation Summit sees high-level government and private sector representatives across aviation, business and tourism come together for collaborative discussions on advancing the aviation industry. Approximately 100 delegates participated in the Summit that took place at Inanda Club in Sandton, Johannesburg.
A major theme in conversations on the ground and on social media was technology and its disruption of the industry. There is an unrelenting need to develop and upskill citizens in order to stay abreast of the advancements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Brand South Africa’s GM for Research, Dr. Petrus De Kock presented a session on aviation as an enabler of the Nation Brand that helps to shape the reputation and competitiveness of the country.
BARSA Chief Executive Officer, Ms. June Crawford told Brand South Africa that this year, BARSA is largely focused on collaborating with the greater tourism industry. “International and local airlines help to promote South Africa and to raise brand awareness”, said Crawford.
The day was broken into various thought-leadership sessions, led by industry experts and cabinet ministers. One of the sessions welcome a panel discussion on “Strengthening Partnerships Between Airlines and the Travel Industry in order to Embrace New Technologies for Continuous Industry Improvement”.
Delegates could also download the official event app, BARSA Summit, on their mobile phones for live interaction while the event was running.
The aviation industry is a vital contributor to the South African economy and society which adds significant value to the overall Nation Brand reputation.
