Global Award For Glamping Adventures’ Gugu Sithole
JOHANNESBURG – “It is an injustice that in a country of 60 million people, only 3,5 million can afford to travel.”
Gugu Sithole, CEO of Glamping Adventures echoed this profound statement in her acceptance speech having received the Bold Woman Award by Veuve Clicquot for South Africa. Sithole said the award was a validation of the Glamping Adventures purpose of making travel accessible and impactful.
This was an inaugural Bold Woman Award by Veuve Clicquot in South Africa. The award serves to bring greater inclusion, impact and more visibility to today and tomorrow’s role models – the women in business who are redefining success, pushing boundaries and inspiring others to follow suit.
“I feel honored to be part of this legacy; inspiring other women by blazing the trail in a bold way. We use travel and tourism to achieve this social imperative,” added Sithole.
“The Bold Woman Award continues to pay tribute to a woman whose tenacity and creativity led to entrepreneurial success – Veuve Clicquot’s very own bold woman, Madame Clicquot. Her story is one of audacity, and entrepreneurial spirit – in 1805, widowed at the age of 27 years old, she went on to revolutionise an entire industry. An exceptional achievement in a time when women couldn’t open their own bank account, let alone independently own or run businesses,” says Jean-Marc Gallot, CEO of Veuve Clicquot. “It’s in her spirit that we work to identify and elevate these women’s journeys, emboldening successive generations of females to lead with audacity. As such, this is so much more than an accolade for their contribution, it’s an engine for revolution.”
Selected from a pool of 250 visionary South African businesswomen, Glamping Adventures’ Gugu Sithole and Womaritme Experts’ Captain Londy Ngcobo now join the ranks of an illustrious list of 410 winners in 27 countries worldwide. The 2022 winners and finalists collectively represented in South Africa are nothing short of remarkable. Their conviction in the businesses they are building and their audacity to plough ahead is a testament to their resilience and fearless leadership. For that reason, Veuve Clicquot pays tribute to them as they pave the way for future bold entrepreneurial women.
Gugu Sithole has proved herself to be all of the above, both elevating the traditional camping experience and empowering local community members. Having weathered the storm as a pandemic-era travel start-up, Gugu’s luxury mobile campsites make some of the country’s most breath-taking natural wonderlands accessible to many who haven’t had the opportunity to explore South Africa. As this year’s Bold Woman Award winner, Gugu will travel to Reims, France – the home of Veuve Clicquot for an immersion in the history, tradition, and luxury of the Maison.
“The award comes at an exciting time for Glamping Adventures when we are purposely ramping up customized glamping experiences exploring some of the most unique stays and glamping in South Africa. We are also working with rural communities to ensure that they are not left behind on the sustainable development mission,” said Sithole
Glamping Adventures’ emblematic roving glamping camps around South Africa are now complemented by customized itineraries. Travellers are able to travel anytime to a region of their choice. Glamping Adventures is also training rural communities on conservation through storytelling tools. This social inclusion approach ensures participation in dealing with the existential crisis of climate change the world is faced with.
About the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award
In 1805, Madame Clicquot took the reins of the House after the death of her husband, at a time when women did not have the right to work or even hold a bank account. Over the years, she revolutionised the sector. To mark its 200th anniversary, Veuve Clicquot decided to pay tribute to this great, daring woman, and in 1972 created the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award (Bold Woman Award), followed by the Clémentine Award (Bold Future Award) in 2014. For nearly 50 years, the House has honoured and featured women who have built, taken on or developed a business – to date, 410 women across 27 countries. In response to society’s evolution since 1972, starting in 2019 the award has been part of an international program: Bold by Veuve Clicquot, a series of initiatives to generate conversations around the world, designed for more impact and inclusiveness.