Ms Vijaluxmi (Viji) Pillay is a professional Tourist Guide and Tour Operator who opened her business in 2006. She specialises in Spanish tours. Her passion for guiding began in the early 2000 when she was a manageress in one of the Indian Restaurants in Durban.
She was encouraged by one of the clients at the restaurants who recognized her ability to speak many languages including Tamil because language proficiency is but one of the requirements for becoming a tourist guide.
She first started by doing walkabout tours in Durban after completing a site course in guiding but later enrolled for a professional guiding course. Since she could not afford the fees, she qualified for a subsidy grant from the Department of Tourism.
Ms Pillay bought her first vehicle in 2007. She was given an opportunity to market and promote her business at Africa's Travel Indaba in 2008. During that year, she suffered a stroke but persevered despite her health challenges to pursue her dreams of selling this beautiful country to foreign tourists.
She has recuperated and now works with many companies including Thompsons Africa, Hylton Ross, Akorn, Kobo Safaris, Akilanga, Julnic Tours, Ilios Tours & Tour Operator and Tourist Guide. She does 7-day group tours from Johannesburg to Durban.