This enterprise’s focus on employee empowerment and eco-tourism has established them as leaders in the hospitality industry.
&Beyond is a leading safari operator in Africa. What sets this entrepreneurial enterprise apart is its focus on eco-tourism and employee empowerment. At Xudum Lodge in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, &Beyond lives up to its corporate ethic which considers “care of the land, care of the wildlife and care of the people” as crucial to business success.
Located in the Okavango delta in Botswana, Xudum Lodge is a sustainable tourism destination. As a business, &Beyond believes in the necessity to conserve wild spaces in Africa and its natural resources. This conservation company understands that this extends to the impact visitors have on natural habitats, which is why they built Xudum Lodge using recyclable material and local resources. Not only focusing on the environment, however, &Beyond also believes in building the skills capacity of its employees, placing them in an entrepreneurial role within their job description. Sandra Gonyora is an example of this business approach which enables employees to launch themselves from a platform for professional growth.
Sandra began at &Beyond as a masseuse and is currently the assistant manager at Xudum Lodge. Prepared to grow and develop their staff, &Beyond helped Sandra to complete a tourism management diploma and offered her in-house training. This has empowered her to take on the challenge of fulfilling a more demanding role at Xudum as well as see herself as an entrepreneur. Sandra’s dream is to start her own business in a few years’ time. She hopes to return to her home country of Zimbabwe and extend the skills of &Beyond to economically uplift the local people.
&Beyond gives people like Sandra the opportunity to develop their skills and grow in the business. This attitude towards its employees has meant that their staff offer service of the highest quality and are empowered in the hospitality industry. This approach, combined with its commitment to conservation through eco-tourism has made &Beyond a business success at Xudum lodge in Botswana.
Lulama
July 19, 2010
This is a great initiative and is an inspiration to us all. It is hard and very expensive to acquire land in South Africa currently but hope new legislation will rectify these barriers soon. In future please provide a website for the company featured so we can see more info.
kingue daveson
October 12, 2010
sandra i was really impresed by your talents and expertise in ecotourism and the development of touristic infrastructures that really puts the tourist in a real natural environment with polution free atmoshpere
i must say bravo to you and i wish you contact me to give me more of your personal acheivements
Lazaro Manyara
December 13, 2010
please madam can you provide your email contact i want to join &beyond safari lodge in botswana
Zivai Chisenga
December 20, 2010
Well done Sandra. Keep up the good work and all the best in your future! This article, your testimony , is inspiring to many.
dinald
December 27, 2010
I am an american entrepreneur who’d love to visit Botswana.Can ms Sandra Gonyora from “&Beyond(Botswana)get back to me at my email address please?
Mahohoma Eliam
January 12, 2011
Sandra, I am impressed by the way you described what &Beyond in Botswana is doing, it’s so appealing. I am definitely spending Easter holidays at your lodge.
sandra's sister
January 20, 2011
Well done Sandra this is wonderful.
Kelly
January 23, 2011
That is a good initiative and Sandra deserves it! She is a hardworking employee!
Kelly
January 23, 2011
It is a good initiative and Sandra deserves it, she is a hard worker.
Kelly
January 23, 2011
Sandra is impressive and she deserves it. I found that she was a hardworking lady when I worked with her!