Cape Town's domestic tourism campaign shows early signs of success
Alderman James Vos, mayoral committee member for economic growth, comments: "This week I visited Cape Town Tourism’s (CTT) Visitor Experience Centres to meet the wonderful staff showcasing the variety of experiences in and around the city, and the travellers seeking information about what’s on during their stay.
"I was pleased to hear that the Centres’ teams have engaged with thousands of local visitors, a plain and clear sign of the success of our Pocket-Friendly domestic tourism campaign which was launched just over two weeks ago. These Centres are indicative of the service offering of CTT, Cape Town’s official Destination Marketing Organisation, which is funded by the City."
The campaign is a partnership between CTT and Travelstart, Safarinow and Club Travel booking platforms that are offering locals discounts on flights, accommodation and experiences.
Already, TravelStart says that over 25,000 flights have been booked through its system for December alone. Similarly, the team at Cape Town International Airport says it expects over 19,000 passengers and 180 flights will be processed daily by the end of this week.
"This reflects the affordability made available to budget-conscious South Africans and is welcome news to Cape Town’s tourism and hospitality workers who have struggled through almost two years of deeply depressed business. That’s not even taking into account the entire value chain of people working in manufacturing, transport and other environments.
"Every job restored or sustained means dignity is restored. This is what it’s all about. This was evident at the Visitor Experience Centres I visited at Kirstenbosch Gardens, the airport, City Hall and the Thando mobile centre.
"Through CTT we are also working closely with other small businesses and communities at large to prepare them for the visitor influx. For example, CTT has hosted several eKasi Tourism Development workshops."
In the coming year, the City will place greater effort into tourism enterprise growth. An example is the expanded rollout of the Neighbourhood Experience Development training manual, a practical guide that includes guidance on guest management and business operations.
The Economic Growth Directorate’s course of action is to restore and sustain traveller confidence and to maintain measures that will boost capacity in tourism, says Vos. "We will also continue to drive marketing that results in conversion from key source markets. Through CTT, we will continue promoting domestic tourism while supporting the safe return of international visitors."
"While we cannot know for sure what challenges lay ahead, this uptick in domestic tourism shows that there remains a strong appetite for travel experiences."