Welcome to the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA)
For over two decades, the TGCSA team has enabled exceptionalism across all aspects of tourism in South Africa, as the only quality assurance body for tourism products in our country that authorises accommodation establishments to display our distinct TGCSA stars. This means that when it comes to globally recognisable grading, we are the only accredited body to fulfil this mandate in South Africa. And we’re proud to partner with you, our exceptional establishments, in celebrating your excellence.
Watch the video to learn about the benefits
of being graded by the TGCSA 
Who facilitates the grading?
Our CATHSSETA-accredited assessors are tourism experts who pride themselves in ensuring that tourism establishments are the best they can be. Your assessor is in your corner – giving you the advice, guidance, and support to make sure your establishment gets the star grade and customers it deserves.
Take some time and choose an assessor in your area that will best suit you.
How we grade
Our grading criteria
The TGCSA’s grading criteria continuously evolves to ensure our standards are up to date and in line with customer expectations. We do this by benchmarking our grading criteria against global standards and review it every three years to ensure that South Africa’s tourism industry provides an exceptional, world-class experience for travellers.
The latest grading system has introduced some exciting enhancements, such as:
- The new ‘Five Star Premium’ level:
We’ve added an aspirational level, reserved for the most luxurious product offerings in South Africa, that recognises exceptional fivestar properties.
- New categories added:
The Grading Council has taken global industry needs into account, by introducing three new categories to cater for small hotels, boutique hotels and apartment hotels.
- Adapting existing categories:
We amended the category previously known as Meetings, Exhibitions, and Special Events Centres (MESE), renaming it ‘Venues’, with some exciting new sub-categorisation added to ensure accurate categorisation.
Find out more about how we guide establishments to reach their full potential with our grading requirements and grading system here.
Establishments we grade
Our grading requirements consider various accommodation categories, meaning that you could stay in a threestar backpackers establishment, which would be a different experience than a three-star boutique hotel, but both experiences will be comfortable and TGCSA-approved.
There are eight types of graded establishments that travellers can choose from, namely:
Formal Accommodation
(Hotels, Apartment Hotels, Boutique Hotels, and Small Hotels)
Guest Accommodation
(Bed & Breakfasts, Country Houses, and Guest Houses)
Self-catering Accommodation
(Exclusive and Shared)
Game Lodges
Nature Lodges
Backpackers and Hostels
Caravan or Camping Sites
Venues
We recognise and reward exceptional establishments
Our Accolades programme
This programme celebrates and rewards niche-market services and facilities offered by graded establishments. When establishments meet requirements to achieve an accolade, they are provided with a ‘badge’ of recognition.
Which accolade does your establishment qualify for?
Read our accolades criteria here.
Apply to get graded
The truth is, no one enjoys admin, which is why you’ll be glad to know that our new and improved application process has minimised all that heavy paperwork – making it so much easier for you!
