Monika luel, the former MD of Private Safaris, has been appointed to the position of Chief Marketing Officer at WESGRO, the tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape. She will take up her new role from 5 March 2021.
David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of finance and economic opportunities, says, “We welcome Monika Iuel to the team. With the tourism industry hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are grateful to have someone of her calibre and experience on the team to promote Cape Town and the Western Cape so we can rebuild the industry and save jobs in the Western Cape.”
Monika has also played a pivotal role in SATSA’s Inbound Recovery Team over the past year.
Monika began her career in tourism in 1992 working for an outbound tour operator in Berlin. This was followed by a period working for boutique DMCs in Johannesburg, 13 years at Tourvest Destination Management, and four years at South African Tourism (SAT). She joined Private Safaris in 2016, and she has also played a pivotal role in SATSA’s Inbound Recovery Team over the past year.
Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, adds, “Monika has had a stellar career that demonstrates extraordinary ability and passion for marketing and tourism. She has a deep knowledge of the destination marketing and communications space, and strong industry relationships locally and abroad. We look forward to having her as part of our team as we take Cape Town and the Western Cape’s wider economic and tourism offer to the world, to help drive a strong recovery.”
The Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) CEO David Frost also welcomed Iuel’s appointment, saying her background in the private sector will be an advantage in her new role in the public sector, as it will strengthen the partnership between the two.
“Having Monika, who comes from a private sector background, in this role will deepen and consolidate the exemplary private-public partnership we enjoy with WESGRO,” says Frost. “It is a partnership that delivers practically with meaningful results on the ground and we look forward to working with Tim, Monika and the entire WESGRO team to keep the momentum up that has already been created in the past few years.”
Virginia Barnard is Monika’s successor at Private Safaris.
