Cape Town, South Africa is addressing tourism challenges on all fronts to ensure that this world-class destination continues to build on its reputation to attract visitors all-year round. Four initiatives being driven simultaneously by Cape Town Tourism are actively generating a positive response from visitors, communities, government and the tourism sector alike.

Cape Town Tourism is currently being represented at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair.

Safety Ambassador Programme

“Cape Town Tourism (CTT) plays an active, supportive role in addressing visitor safety in the city. While the primary role of safety and security belongs to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other local law enforcement agencies, we collaborate where possible to achieve more.

We are therefore running our innovative and successful Tourism Safety Ambassador Program for the second consecutive year. Jobless youth and final year university students from disadvantaged communities on the Cape Flats and Bo-Kaap learn valuable life and tourism skills while assisting to keep our visitors safe.

We are incredibly proud of the impact that the program has had thus far in raising awareness of crime hotspot areas and contributing directly towards four arrests.

These Ambassadors are subsequently able to generate an income over our tourism ‘high season’, while providing a safer environment and frictionless visitor experience. Besides this program, Cape Town Tourism distributes safety bookmarks via our extensive 1500-member network from airports and attractions to hotels and restaurants; and digitally via our influential social media channels and website to ensure that safety messaging is visible and accessible.

We believe that our efforts go a long way in reducing possible safety risks posed to visitors while trying to ensure that they enjoy every part of our city from eKasi to the CBD.

We are committed to providing visitors with the best possible experience. This can only happen if they feel and are safe.

As Cape Town Tourism, we are working together with all relevant stakeholders and agencies to enhance visitor safety around the city and other tourism hotspots. It’s of utmost importance that visitors can visit our open spaces and feel safe.” – Enver Duminy, CEO, Cape Town Tourism

Watch this short video to find out more about this amazing initiative:

https://www.facebook.com/CityofCT/videos/vb.144985128871748/387182705428650/?type=2&theater

Water-wise tourism and sustainability

Cape Town is on the proverbial road to recovery, as our tourism begins to show positive signs of revival. Water-scarcity is no longer an idea or concept that lives in text-books or National Geographic documentaries, it’s a reality and being resilient to this and other natural disasters is becoming a necessity rather than a nice-to-have.

Welcomed rainfall along with private and public water savings initiatives have become a recognised example of destination strength the world-over. The city has achieved a turnaround that is remarkable, to the point that conferences on water and sustainability are being hosted in the city, with international delegates wanting to develop a best-practice approach that incorporates some of the Cape’s initiatives.

The many initiatives that have taken place, as well as the ones are still underway, to reduce water usage have radically altered our relationship with this precious natural resource. The Secretary General of the UNWTO singled us out for our efforts in reducing water usage – how we learned to collaborate during a crisis has become a best-practice case study. There have been multiple campaigns and communication efforts, so collectively, these have ensured that the messaging is brought across to visitors and that water usage is reduced accordingly.

Attracting the global Halal travel market

Cape Town has a rich Muslim history and heritage, with the Cape Malay Muslims making up around a quarter of the population. Cape Town was the place for South Africa’s first Muslim settlers and is home to the oldest mosque in South Africa, dating back an impressive 200 years. Cape Town’s large Muslim community is central to every aspect of life in the city. Cape Town Tourism works closely with CrescentRating, the world’s leading authority on Halal Travel, to accredit and train the industry first-hand and have Muslim employees and have trained staff to focus on this segment. As part of marketing efforts, it’s essential to audit your destination and prepare the tourism industry to cater for the international Muslim traveler.  The global Halal travel market with has a forecasted value of US$36 billion by 2020.

Community engagement and neighbourhood tourism development

Cape Town Tourism recently embarked on a new mentorship journey. In partnership with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a Marketing Incubator has been created. It’s aimed at SMEs within Cape Town Tourism’s sizeable membership base and provides mentorship and training via a one-day course with some of the top minds in the business. It’s short, because SME owners can ill afford time away from their businesses, but the quality of training means that these business owners can apply what they’re learning in real time.

The organisation has found that rather than simple workshops, what works is to hold meetings within communities where the full gamut of opinion and experience can be shared. This can take the form of a listening exercise – with a view to taking points forward – or a speed-dating-styled meeting. One such example was our eKasi Sessions. We gathered together SME business owners and put them in direct contact with large tourism enterprise operators. Each person had access to the other for short, meaningful discussions before moving on to the next person. This style of meeting makes for a personal interaction that can bear fruit. It helps to break down the “us and them” barrier that can exist between SMEs and larger businesses, and both parties can benefit.

Cape Town Tourism has also released a vibrant series of videos showcasing the city’s many neighbourhoods, each of which has a completely different vibe to the next. The “Love Cape Town” video series taps into the global “Travel Like a Local” trend, which encourages visitors to explore local neighbourhoods and get immersed in unique experiences.

Take a look at the videos below and see all the great things they have to offer: Woodstock, Khayelitsha, The Bo-Kaap, Mitchells Plain Kalk Bay, Constantia, Langa, Simon’s Town and Cape Point

“If we’re to continue our growth trajectory as a destination, we must be bold, agile and achieving ground-breaking results. Our strategies are yielding fruit, and we have some fantastic creative minds working with us to amaze and delight visitors.” – Enver Duminy, CEO, Cape Town Tourism

 

Figures released by Cape Town’s big attractions, Cape Town International Airport and STR’s Destination Report indicate mixed performance for December 2018.

The second half of the year has shown that the city’s recovery in terms of tourism is stabilising, notwithstanding a poor performance in the early part of 2018.

The challenges faced by the tourism industry

Cape Town Tourism has identified numerous factors that influenced travel choices in 2018, including a third quarter recession and the drought as primary factors.

December performance was impacted by shortened school holidays, negatively affecting the leisure market but resulting in earlier bookings of corporate events and bookings.

Many locals opted to ‘staycation’ and visited local attractions and experiences. Attractions specifically commented on the increase of local footfall.

The details

Robben Island showed the highest increase year-on-year for December at 28% more visitors, mostly attributed to improved operations since the same period last year. This was after a year of challenges that saw the attraction 10% down for the whole of 2018.

The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway also reported an increase year-on-year for December of 6%, a notable recovery after ending the year 3% down for the whole of 2018.

The V&A Waterfront, Africa’s most-visited attraction reported visitor figures for December that were 2% lower than in the same period in 2017, as did the Two Oceans Aquarium and Cape Point.

Chapmans Peak Drive was static at 0%, while Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens was at 5% lower in December but 2% higher over the whole of 2018.

Groot Constantia reported a December that was at 23% lower for December but at only 6% lower for the whole of 2018.

International passengers at Cape Town International Airport, according to Airports Company South Africa were recorded as being up by 4% in December (year-on-year) and by over 9% in total for 2018, at 2.4 million passengers.

December occupancy at hotels in Cape Town according to the STR Destination Report was reported up 2% and the average daily rate was reportedly down 4% year-on-year.

“Tourism in general is in a period of slow recovery following the drought and recession, and the figures reported bear this out. The recovery of water supplies in the latter part of 2018 following healthy rainfall and the implementation of additional water supplies came a little too late to counteract bookings to the city, although December, in general, offered an indication that tourism is on track to becoming a more stable economic environment once again.” – Cape Town Tourism CEO, Enver Duminy

“It has been a mammoth task on the part of stakeholders to work towards sustainability within the tourism sector throughout 2018, and the figures for December offer some reassurance that this is paying off. Cape Town is a world-class destination, and we are committed to seeing that all opportunities represented are embraced to reach our goals, so that employment is secure and that more tourism-preneurs can be created to grow the economy throughout the entire city. I will make it my priority to work with the industry to invest in programmes and projects that drive demand and make business sense.” – Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management

 

The ever-popular Cape Town Rugby Sevens kicks off the weekend of December 8 and 9 2018, coinciding with Cruise Ship Season and the start of the summer holidays for many locals. After a turbulent year, the tourism industry is looking forward to welcoming back large numbers of visitors and the boost to the economy they bring with them.

Sevens Rugby is important on the sports calendar – in 2016, the tournament’s total direct impact on the city’s economy was R432 million, resulting in the creation of 1 400 jobs. South Africa’s sports-mad fans will ensure that the 2018 tournament is a resounding success, too.

We’re privileged to host Sevens Rugby once more. It’s an event that stirs up interest in Cape Town as a destination, and the perfect tournament to round off a successful year that has seen us staging world-class tournaments and sport fixtures. Looking ahead into 2019, this is set to continue with cricket matches taking place in January, so there’s really something for everyone.

Cruising into 2019

The cruise ship season has already begun in the Mother City, and it’s well-known that it, too, provides a welcomed cash injection, since both passengers and crew engage in tourism activities as well as enjoying retail and restaurant experiences.

On a global scale, the luxury cruise ship market has burgeoned over the past 17 years from around five million passengers to more than 20 million, and figures for Cape Town show that during the 2016-2017 season, the city’s cruise ship terminal hosted a total of 44 vessels, including Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth, and processed 47,000 passengers and crew members. Although most of the ships that currently call in Cape Town carry fewer than 1,000 passengers, the revamped cruise terminal can process up to 3,000.

According to former Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde, the cruise ship industry could be worth R220 billion (€14.9bn) between 2017 and 2027.

Besides typical domestic and international tourism, events form a large part of the tourism sector, and Cape Town was recently named best host city in Africa according to the World Travel Awards; it was announced that the city had been named “Africa’s Leading Festival and Event Destination” for 2018. Earlier in 2018, a further accolade was attained, when Cape Town was once again crowned as the number one city in Africa for business tourism events by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

From the outset of 2018, the city’s tourism and event industry has worked towards, and maintained, an approach to events that is based on a framework of sustainability principles, with large-scale events being held with a negligible impact on the environment and the city’s resources.

We have a responsibility to locals for the present and future to ensure that we’re working towards a sustainable tourism environment that will see job creation, benefits to local communities and economic stability and growth that will contribute to the development of a tourism sector that will be enjoyed by generations to come.

Enver Duminy is CEO of Cape Town Tourism

Cape Town, South Africa, is a city renowned for its attractions, such as Table Mountain, the 7^th Natural Wonder of the World; two UNESCO World Heritage sites, Robben Island and the Cape Floral Kingdom; and the V&A Waterfront, the most visited attraction in Africa. In addition to its natural splendour and ten Blue Flag world-class beaches, it’s famous as a place where former president and struggle icon Nelson Mandela helped to bring hope and enlightenment to a generation of South Africans.

Minimal impact on visitor experience

The city is steadily recovering from a drought, the turned-around being largely attributed to good winter rains and locals rallying together to save water. In October 2017, local dams, the primary water source at the time, were only 38% full. In October 2018, the dams are at 75% capacity. This remarkable reversal has garnered international attention, with the city having cut water usage by 50% in only 3 years.

Water restrictions remain in place, however the impact for international visitors is minimal. For example, most hotels have removed bathtub stoppers and requested that guests take short showers instead. Practically, this means checking that taps aren’t left running, not using tap water where ground water (non-potable water) can be used for gardens and floor cleaning and, in general, being conscious of water usage.

Locals simply ask that visitors participate in joining the city in applying sustainable tourism principles, including water-wise tourism.

Watch what visitors think of Cape Town after their holiday during the water shortages.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfS063Fbflk

UNWTO best practice

Based on the organisation’s approach to recovery and sustainable tourism, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has showcased Cape Town’s efforts and subsequently invited Cape Town Tourism to participate in the UNWTO Summit in Seoul, Korea, this year.

“We extend our invitation to all travel enthusiasts, explorers and holidaymakers to come and see for themselves that Cape Town is a must-visit destination with unparalleled experiences, that hold sustainable tourism practices at our foundation.” – Cape Town Tourism CEO, Enver Duminy

International tourism on the increase

Cape Town enjoys increasing international tourism, with the latest figures showing 13% growth in international arrivals year-on-year; this highlights the esteem in which the city is held internationally, echoing the numerous awards and accolades Cape Town continues to scoop up.

Cape Town Accolades 2018

• Cape Town is the best host city in Africa according the World Travel Awards; it was announced that the city has been named “Africa’s Leading Festival and Event Destination” for 2018.
• Cape Town named most affordable destination for tourists from the UK in the annual Post Office Travel Money report
• Cape Town wins city with best growth potential at WTCF2018 (out of 200 cities represented)
• Cape Town voted number one destination in Africa and the Middle East for 2018 in Travel + Leisure’s reader’s poll
• Kalk Bay in Cape Town is voted number one in the 12 coolest suburbs in the world list (Forbes)
• South Africa has been ranked as one of the ten most Muslim-friendly travel destinations for 2018 among non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries in the annual Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI)
• Cape Town was once again crowned as the number one city in Africa for business tourism events by the International Congress and Convention Association (Icca).
• Cape Town listed in Surfer Magazine’s Top Ten Surf Cities in the World List. (Mar 2018)
• Cape Town comes in at number five in the UK Post Office Travel Report’s “Best Value for Travel” rankings in 2018.

 

Behind the scenes in tourism, an epic struggle is taking place: for industry professionals, the rising costs of fuel and other commodities are putting pressure on their businesses. Besides the challenge in business, locals are also finding it harder to budget for travel for the same reasons. The rand has been on a rollercoaster in 2018, leaving the entire economy in a precarious situation.

The tourism industry is no holiday

The economic stimulus package presented by President Ramaphosa sounds like it has potential, with tourism also garnering attention, but the concept of tourism isn’t an abstract one. Although some may consider it to be all about taking a break and chilling at the beach or in the wilderness, the entire sector is inextricably interwoven with the entire economy, with sectors as disparate as retail and even construction linked to it. Add to that supply chains and the stifling increase in commodities, vat, fuel from a supplier (industry) point of view, weighing the cost of doing business against a demand from the consumers who are also under pressure becomes problematic. Do tourism businesses add to the challenge consumers face and risk haemorrhaging more visitors?

Domestic tourism decline has been the biggest reason for the recent downturn in tourism numbers recently, the industry is on tenterhooks ahead of High Season, a period that traditionally enabled tourism businesses to balance their books and push ahead into the following year.

South Africa is running on empty

According to Bloomberg, South Africa’s other economic issues meant it is now one of the most expensive places in the world to be a motorist, stating that this challenge is exacerbated by how little income locals earn, and that we now spend more of our pay cheques filling up than any other nation except Mexico. Supply constraints from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Venezuela’s current political crisis, and renewed tensions between the US and Iran are behind the metaphorical “sneeze” that is giving South Africa a cold, bearing in mind that we are a net importer of fuel.

In the interim, there don’t appear to be many solutions. The choices are to bite the bullet and continue travelling or to remain at home and to enjoy exploring locally – a staycation. Travellers can make use of value-added offerings such as loyalty programmes – indeed, some loyalty programmes are directly linked to fuel – and tourism businesses would do well to consider such value adds that don’t negatively impact profit margins.

According to Stats SA, locals do prioritise travel, even during a recession, so this is a hint that we will continue to see tourism taking place. The exchange rate is likely to put pressure on locals to travel locally rather than internationally to stretch their holiday bucks further, and the exchange rate remains favourable to international visitors.

Those who feel the rising costs of doing business most are the ones we’re looking to for job creation: SMEs run by entrepreneurs. It’s no secret that these businesses are under immense financial constraints, particularly in their early phase. These SMEs need to navigate their finances carefully and to take into account that there will be negative influences on their cash flow, or risk running out of money and having to close shop. The president is looking to tourism for increased contributions to the GDP and to the pool of jobs available, and he’s aware that SMEs will be the environment that most facilitates both of those hopes coming to fruition, but it’s not enough to sit back and hope the plan works itself out.

Tourism businesses, whether SMEs or large enterprise ones, need economic sandbagging at this time, with support from government. We need to collaborate, partner and support one another – perhaps we can offset costs by sharing the load and adding value for visitors in this way, offering more experiences.

Not everyone can be an economist or an astute financial manager, but this is always a factor in weighing up a strategy that leads to profitability. The tourism professional must add this to a portfolio of skills to survive the lean times.

We believe that this sector is resilient enough to push through and achieve steady growth, and that visitors will continue to regard our attractions and experiences as world class, let’s ensure that we endure and press ahead despite the many challenges faced.

Enver Duminy is CEO of Cape Town Tourism.

 

Cape Town is the best host city in Africa according the World Travel Awards; it was announced that the city has been named “Africa’s Leading Festival and Event Destination” for 2018.

The announcement was made at a red-carpet event hosted at the Durban International Convention Centre, where the world’s industry professionals gathered to celebrate their victories.

In addition to winning this award, Cape Town was also nominated in two other categories:

World’s Leading City Break Destination 2018: Cape Town, South Africa

World’s Leading City Destination 2018: Cape Town, South Africa

Earlier in the year, Cape Town was once again crowned as the number one city in Africa for business tourism events by the International Congress and Convention Association; this latest accolade further cements the city’s reputation regionally, across the continent and globally.

Creating a sustainable tourism blueprint

Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy was particularly thrilled to hear the news:

“It’s notable that this accolade, along with others received, has come at a time when we’ve faced challenges as a city and within the tourism sector. Despite these challenges, there’s international recognition that we’re not only open for business, but that we’re capable of staging world-class events and festivals that cater for a global audience. Well done to each role player whose efforts have paid off in developing a sustainable platform for tourism growth,” he stated.

A mammoth industry-wide initiative has seen big events tackling their impact on water resources and reducing consumption accordingly, in some cases, such as the Cape Town Cycle Tour, for example, water was brought in from sources outside Cape Town with this in mind, resulting in a low-impact event enjoyed by participants.

Smaller, community-based events and festivals also aid in contributing to sustainability for local businesses and in creating an engaging environment that stimulates local commerce. These aid in promoting local tourism and encouraging travel in and around Cape Town.

The big business of festivals and events:

Festivals and events are considered to be a driving force in the Cape’s economy by tourism sector professionals:

• The HSBC Rugby Sevens generated revenue of R539m in 2016 and around R700m in 2017, with 110 000 tickets selling out in seconds in 2017.
• The Sanlam Cape Town marathon was crowned the Participation Event of the year (2018), showcasing the sporting industry talent of the Cape.
• The Cape Town leg of the Volvo Ocean Race was expected to contribute about R500m and 35 000 bed nights to the city’s economy in 2017, however, the start city of the race, Alicante, Spain, estimates the economic value of each leg to be R960m.
• The Cape Town International Jazz Festival creates more than 2 000 temporary jobs. The festival annually boasts 5 stages with more than 40 artists performing over 2 nights. The festival hosts in excess of 37, 000 music lovers over the 2 show days.
• Events like the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon are critical to the region’s economy, with the OMTOM alone generating over R675 million, creating thousands of jobs and raising more than R3.5 million for the charities that use the OMTOM as a fundraising platform every year. (2018 quote from race organisers).
• Over R500-million flows into the Western Cape economy during the week of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, which attracts about 4,000 international riders to the city.
• During the Meetings Africa conference 2018, it was pointed out that business tourism contributed an astonishing R115bn to the South African economy. These business visitors generally spend more than the usual leisure traveller. This money is most commonly spent at hotels, conference centres, restaurants, country clubs, and convention centres.
• According to the South African National Convention Bureau, South Africa hosts about one million delegates at business events every year, supporting over 250,000 jobs directly and indirectly in this sub-sector alone.
• Cape Town has once again claimed the number-one spot as a globally competitive business destination. The recent expansion of the CTICC (II) to the tune of R900 million has played an integral role in securing this prestigious recognition.
• In 2017, 3,400 international delegates experienced Cape Town, helping grow the economy and creating jobs in the areas of tourism, conferencing and hospitality.