Prof Ernie Heath has received the Best Teacher Award for 2015/2016 in the International Tourism Management MBA Programme at the International Graduate Centre, Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, Germany, where he was a visiting professor. What makes this award special is that the International Tourism Management MBA Programme attracts students from around the world, with lecturers from Germany, Spain, Mexico, Denmark, USA and Britain.

 

Prof Heath retired at the end of January 2016 after spending 20 fruitful years in UP’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Since his retirement, he has been supervising postgraduate students and been involved in a wide spectrum of tourism-related initiatives, including the development of an events strategy for Tshwane, facilitating a tourism capacity-building programme for public and private sector stakeholders in Zimbabwe, and chairing a two-day conference with the theme ‘Attractions management in Southern Africa 2016’. He was also invited by the South African government to be a peer reviewer in the tourism component of the Strategic Environmental Assessment for Shale Gas Development in South Africa and appointed by the Minister of Tourism to be a member of the review panel for the National Tourism Sector Strategy.

 

During March 2016, he had the privilege of completing his 21st Cape Town Cycle Tour (formerly the Cape Argus), and so-doing became a member of the exclusive Club 21. Regarding the future, he looks forward to continue supervising postgraduate students; following his passion to assist with capacity-building and the promotion of tourism in small towns and rural areas throughout South Africa; and of course, spending more time with his grandchildren.

 

According to Prof Heath, “I truly have great memories of my time at Tukkies and miss the engagement with the students and colleagues, but the reality is that life’s a journey and our challenge is to look forward and embrace and enjoy the next phases of the journey”.