Statement by the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos
As the world marked International Tourism Day, I brought together a delegation of Consular-Generals and presented to them details of Cape Town’s destination readiness plans. Joined by the City’s Executive Mayor Dan Plato, the gathering of these 20 representatives from countries in Europe, Africa, and the Americas was an important opportunity to highlight how the Mother City is preparing to welcome visitors in the coming months.
In marking this occasion, we must remember the value of this industry: total foreign tourist spend in South Africa went from R81 billion in 2019 to R19 billion last year. The fact that more than 75 000 tourism jobs were lost in 2020 in the Western Cape alone is a stark reminder that behind every number is a person.
In highlighting Cape Town’s strategy to attract travellers, I shared details of the new ‘Find Your Freedom’ international campaign from Cape Town Tourism, the City’s Destination Marketing Organisation.
In the campaign, potential travellers will be able to take part in an interactive video and choose their own Cape Town adventure. We are also engaging with international partners and destinations to put branding in airports and billboards, as well as in-flight media on target airlines to convert potential travellers in key source markets to actual visitors.
In fact, with aviation being such a crucial driver of economic growth, I’m happy to share that the City has also agreed to renew funding to the Air Access initiative. Through Air Access, 19 new routes connecting Cape Town International Airport to the world were established prior to the pandemic, and an estimated R6 billion was generated in direct tourism spend.
We will also be engaging with Cape Town’s many sister cities to explore collaborations on aspects of travel for the people of our respective cities. By strengthening these international relations, we boost travel and trade between our cities and countries, thus driving economic growth.
We are also exploring smart applications and enhanced search engine optimisation to make Cape Town appear in more online searches for specific adventures and activities.
The gathering was also an opportunity to remind the Consuls-Generals of our ongoing efforts to get South Africa off the UK’s red list and to thank other countries for opening up travel to Mzansi.
With the vaccine rollout now well under way and the tourism and hospitality sector showing Covid-19 compliance, it is clear that Cape Town is ready to welcome world travellers.
The Executive Mayor Dan Plato said: ‘Tourism has always provided employment and skills development opportunities for our residents and these opportunities have grown immensely over the years as we continue to support this industry wherever possible. Of course, Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the sustainability of this sector, as it has across the world. Thankfully, we are already seeing some positive signs for the recovery of this vital industry, and just last week, Cape Town was voted as the best City in Africa by the World Travel & Leisure Awards. The international awards also named several hotels, which shows that Cape Town remains a preferred destination and continues to offer much value and experience for tourists. As Executive Mayor of this beautiful city, it gives me great joy to see the hard work of our residents and business owners rewarded with global recognition. These accolades mean we are perfectly positioned for recovery and further growth.’
Source: City Of Cape Town