The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has prioritised the development of community-based tourism enterprises so that it can offer local and international visitors superior and memorable products.
“We do this through mechanisms such as the Neighbourhood Experiences Development manual and City platforms such as the Business Hub,” said James Vos, CoCT Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.
Speaking during a CoCT La Gu Gu Township Tour through Cape Town’s oldest township, Langa, and neighbouring Gugulethu and Khayelitsha, Vos added: “Now is the time to take our offering as a destination to the next level – with our communities at the forefront.
“Communities are the heart of the global travel and tourism industry. Nowhere is this truer than in South Africa, where small businesses make up around 80% of the tourism industry. In one way or another, the product that these businesses sell relates to an aspect of their community, whether it be cuisine, culture or experience.”
Vos explained that the tour was an opportunity for local government to see the variety of community tourism experiences in Cape Town so that the stakeholders could continue to integrate them into the greater city destination offering.
The tour included an African traditional beer tasting as well as visits to the Dompass Museum and to the home of music legend, Brenda Fassie.
CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Enver Duminy, said: “Cape Town is rich with a variety of experiences and our local cultural heritage comes to life when you visit our neighbourhoods and communities. As an organisation, we encourage tangible community initiatives to produce meaningful results.”
Economic Growth Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Clive Justus, noted that, as part of the body’s oversight role, it wanted to gain first-hand insights into Cape Town experiences and use that to see how it could influence relevant City departments to do more to help small businesses in the industry to flourish.
“Innovative ideas that sustain livelihoods, provide opportunities for others, particularly among the youth, must be nurtured and supported by both government and the private sector,” said Justus.
