Tourism marketing of Cape Town and the Western Cape may in future be privatised and fall under the auspices of one Western Cape Economic Development Agency (EDA). Western Cape MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, says a meeting will be held next week to appoint a task team, which will be asked to put a plan together for an EDA by April 2011, the beginning of the province’s next budget year. This follows his recent visit to London to study the functions of the London Development Agency, which largely forms the model being looked at for the Western Cape. He also met with various organisations promoting London, such as Visit London, which works in partnership with the London Development Agency, the Mayor of London, London councils and the tourism industry to promote the city. The proposed Western Cape EDA is the result of extensive investigation into this subject looking at best practice both in South Africa and around the world.
Discussions between the Cape Town city council and the Western Cape provincial government regarding the establishment of an EDA have been ongoing for some time and the city has previously stated its support of the initiative. Winde this week told Tourism Update Online his thinking at this stage was for the function to be privatised. It was premature to say what this would mean for CTRU and its staff but a change was necessary, he said. Cape Town city council Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development and Tourism, Felicity Purchase, earlier explained that the EDA would bring together various existing promotional and sector bodies under one umbrella, which should strengthen their ability to operate and make it easier to identify and support new emerging growth sectors. These included development agencies currently supported by the city or the province such as CTRU, Wesgro, Cape Craft & Design Institute, South African Oil & Gas Alliance and Cape Town Boatbuilding & Technology Initiative. “It is hoped that they will be more effective if they are brought under one roof. The concept is not to merge all the bodies into one amorphous mass but to maintain a sectoral and market-driven focus,” she explained. She said a Western Cape EDA could be tasked to undertake major specific development projects, just as the London Docklands project was handled by the London Development Agency. She said it was essential that the proposed EDA did not become a political body. “The success of the agency will ultimately depend upon the people involved. We already have some very talented people within the various agencies. We will ensure that they are given the tools to deliver on their mandate. In addition, other suitably qualified people need to be recruited to fill key positions within the organisation. Much work needs to be done before the proposed agency comes into being but the city is determined to assist the provincial government to ensure that it happens and that we have a body that we can rely upon to drive development in Cape Town and the Western Cape in the future,” she said.