WESGRO will focus on marketing niche tourism in the Western Cape in the new financial year, in particular cycling, culture/heritage and food and wine tourism, says Chief Marketing Officer, Judy Lain.

On Tuesday (March 20) the province’s trade, tourism and investment agency set out its plan to boost the Western Cape economy in the 2018/19 financial year at an event attended by Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom, Western Cape Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde, diplomats, business leaders and senior government representatives.

Lain said Wesgro’s destination marketing team had identified three opportunities for the new financial year:

1. Promoting niche tourism experiences: The development of cycling route networks across the province, would soon see the launch of cycling routes in the Cederberg, on the West Coast and a Cape Town cycling route that followed in the tracks of the annual Cape Town cycle race around the Cape Peninsula. Wesgro was also promoting culture and heritage by partnering with Maropeng, The Cradle of Humankind, to position the Western Cape as The Cradle of Culture. The Madiba Centenary celebrations would also provide a great opportunity for promoting cultural/heritage tourism, she said.
2. Promoting incentive travel through the convention bureau, a key driver in the Asian market for business and incentive travel. 
3. Adopting a more holistic approach to emerging markets, by working closely with other key departments of Wesgro on joint programmes, such as an Angola Wine Project and promoting tourism between Angola and the Western Cape.

From an investment viewpoint, Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, said Wesgro intended to position itself as the first port of call for potential investors, while providing essential knowledge, access and expertise. In alignment with new research undertaken and key markets identified, 14 missions are scheduled for the 2018/19 financial year.

Wesgro Senior Economist, Janine Botha, pointed out that the global Islamic economy provided a major opportunity for growth as the global Muslim population was projected to increase by 70% to three billion by 2060.