The City of Cape Town has approved another three-year agreement with Cape Town Tourism (CTT) as part of its continued commitment to the industry, according to James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management.
Vos, whose portfolio includes tourism, said the move to continue the City’s partnership with the destination marketing organisation (DMO) was an acknowledgement of the tourism industry’s impact on the economy and people’s livelihoods.
“Under our service delivery agreement with CTT, we detail our plans to produce world-class destination marketing material, visitor information services across the city and community tourism product development to support local businesses,” he said.
The DMO represents over 1 000 businesses, from individual tourist guides to restaurants, tour operators, accommodation providers, corporates, and airlines.
“Prior to the pandemic, the tourism industry employed around 150 000 people in Cape Town, making it the sector with the highest growth and employment potential,” said Vos.
The renewed CTT commitment comes as South Africa tries to recover from more than a year and a half of the national lockdown that has battered the global tourism industry.
“South African tourism lost an estimated R164 billion (€9.44bn) in visitor spending in 2020, new research reveals. Tens of thousands of people have lost their livelihoods. That’s not even taking into account the entire value chain of people working in manufacturing, transport and other environments.
“With the traditionally busy summer season weeks away, the immediate priority is to implement campaigns that will convert potential travellers into actual visitors and to help establish more 'tourism-preneurs' to diversify and innovate the range of experiences and products,” said Vos.
Marketing initiatives
Internationally, CTT will roll out the ‘Find Your Freedom’ interactive video, and partner with airlines and tourism destination bodies in key source markets.
On the domestic front, CTT is marketing to tourists with its ‘Captivating Cape Town’ initiative, where local travel industry experts give insider advice on the Mother City.
The organisation is also aiming to show the accessibility and affordability of Cape Town with the pocket-friendly campaign, which highlights cost-effective experiences.
“These campaigns will coincide with programmes to bolster local tourist enterprises from the ground up. A prime example of this is CTT’s SMME training manual to help guide them in developing their businesses and to be ready for the return of visitors,” said Vos.
