Remember the last time a friend returned home from holiday and gave you such an amazing rendition of his travel experience that it not only left you curious about the destination, but inspired to start making your own travel plans there.

Telling exciting stories about a travel destination and inspiring others to visit it, is exactly what the Cape Town & Western Cape Tourism Brand Ambassador Programme is about, launched at this week’s Tourism Indaba in Durban. Even better is when these anecdotes are told by inhabitants of the destination, who adores and knows it by heart.

“The whole idea behind our Tourism Ambassador Programme is to form a network of people who are passionate, motivated and proud of their home – Cape Town and the Western Cape. This is the kind of group that will at every opportunity project a positive image of the authentic culture and beauty of our destination and its people, enthusing others to want to visit and experience it first-hand,” says Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the tourism destination marketing destination for Cape Town and the Western Cape.
                                                                                             
At the Cape Town and Western Cape Trade & Media Networking Lunch at Indaba, a group of Western Cape personalities pledged their personal and professional support to the continued promotion of Cape Town and the Western Cape as a premier year-round tourism destination, as well as tourism awareness in general.

The first group of Cape Town and Western Cape Tourism Ambassadors are radio personality Nigel Pierce; City of Cape Town Executive Deputy Mayor Grant Haskin; Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Development, Garth Strachan (chair), Ntombomzi Phenduka, Pauline Cupido, Alan Winde, Lennit Max, Johan Gelderblom, Kent Morkel and Lynne Saayman; City of Cape Town Councillors Simon Grindrod and Mansoor Mohamed; Western Cape Provincial Government 2010 Economic Legacy Coordinator, Brent Walters; members of the City of Cape Town’s 2010 team, Terral Cullen, Pieter Cronje and Lorraine Gerrans; City of Cape Town representative Nombulelo Mkefa; and Calvyn Gilfellan, Chief Executive of Cape Town Routes Unlimited.

Says Executive Deputy Mayor Haskin: “It’s a privilege and a huge responsibility which is two-fold: to grow the brand, and to increase the ambassador number. I want us to do this through information sharing. Cape Town is more than just the beauty of Table Mountain and Robben Island, Cape Town is a community of diverse people and experiences that give Cape Town a unique vibrancy that visitors need to enjoy. There are many more perspectives of Cape Town that we are developing and presenting to visitors to ensure that they return for more.”

Says radio personality Nigel Pierce: “Personally I think it’s a fantastic initiative using the voices and faces of personalities to spread the message of Cape Town and the Western Cape – not only in the province itself and in South Africa, but also abroad where we often interact.

“Actually everyone in our province is an ambassador – from the petrol jockey, the taxi driver, to the lady who answers the phone. Everyone plays a role in conveying the message that we are a fantastic, value-for-money destination, and in convincing our visitors to come back to experience more of the hospitality we are world-renowned for,” says Pierce.

“The whole idea is that our Tourism Ambassadors, who enjoy a high profile within our communities and have good access to a multitude of platforms, would have a considerable reach. They are specifically able to access communication platforms from which they can educate, promote and influence others on the value and benefits of tourism. We hope that through their ‘word-of-mouth’ endorsements and sharing of their personal experiences, they will inspire others to be proud of the destination, and in this way, help to build confidence in the destination ahead, during and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” says Gilfellan.