Cape Town tourism sector must not rest on laurels

Source: Fin 24, 02/11/2015

Cape Town - Cape Town's tourism industry should not rest on its
laurels but keep up the good work and act on strategies aimed at
strengthening year-round tourism, Executive Mayor of Cape Town
Patricia de Lille said at Cape Town Tourism's annual general
meeting.


Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy declared that Cape Town is truly
becoming a 365 destination at the organisation`s AGM on Thursday,
which focused on the holistic approach to tourism in the city taken
over the past year.


"Cape Town Tourism is closely monitoring visitor trends, and is
cautiously optimistic about the upcoming holiday season, especially
since domestic tourism remains the focus during December and
January.

Placing the emphasis on campaigns such as `Hello
Weekend`, the `Love Your Neighbourhood` video series which showcases
select city suburbs and a drive to encourage visitors to `travel like
a local` will add impetus to tourism-related businesses", Duminy said.
Duminy indicated that the latest statistics indicate positive growth
year-on-year in air travel to Cape Town and that Cape Town Tourism`s
strategies in combatting seasonality had paid off.


Specifically, Duminy highlighted a successful "Hello Weekend" campaign
that resulted in 21% increase in domestic bookings and the impact that
this had in combatting seasonality in tourism – the campaign
specifically designed to attract visitors in off-peak season.


He reminded everyone that achievements were made despite the current
tourism industry climate which has taken a significant knock from the
birth certificate requirements, biometric visas and the tail-end of
the Ebola crisis, and thanked David Frost of the South African Tourism
Services Association (SATSA) for his commitment to the industry in
light of Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom`s announcement that some of
the visa and birth certificate regulations will be relaxed.


Key statistics and highlights he mentioned included that the total
airport arrival figures are up 3.4% year-on-year - domestic arrivals
by 2.9%, regional arrivals by 6.4% and international arrivals by 6.1%.
Of the big attractions, Kirstenbosch Garden showed a favourable 29%
increase in visitors.


The increased capacity at Cape Town International has had a positive
effect on regional and international arrivals and presents an
opportunity going forward.


Councillor Garreth Bloor, Mayoral Committee Member, Tourism, Events
and Economic Development added that a long-term strategy aimed at
counteracting seasonality is already in place and that this is
encouraging tourists to stay longer, spend more and visit more places.
He mentioned the specific targeting of niche tourist markets as one
means of growing tourism in the city.