Cape Town and the Western Cape has experienced a growth of 19,3% in tourist arrivals from Kenya (SA Tourism, 2005). More than 70% of Kenyan travel itineraries to South Africa now…
Cape Town and the Western Cape has experienced a growth of 19,3% in tourist arrivals from Kenya (SA Tourism, 2005). More than 70% of Kenyan travel itineraries to South Africa now include Cape Town and the Western Cape, making it the most sought after leisure destination in South Africa for Kenyan tourists.
Although the Kenyan arrival figure is still lower than arrivals from other regions into the destination, the Western Cape tourism industry regards this African market as an important tactical market, especially in the run-up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup. This focus is also in line with Nepad’s (New Partnership for Africa`s Development) drive to make tourism a priority sector in order to diversify economic opportunities and generate income and foreign exchange earnings for African countries.
These are some of the reasons why Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the official tourism destination marketing organisation for Cape Town and the Western Cape, has decided to send a team to the SA Tourism Kenyan Leisure Showcase (23 – 25 March 2007) in Nairobi. The aim was to market to tour operators and potential tourists in the African region Cape Town and the Western Cape’s rich cultural diversity and heritage, its friendly and hospitable people, its spirited and cosmopolitan vibe, and matchless lifestyle experiences which include sumptuous Cape cuisine, fine wines and endless shopping.
“Kenya is a fairly new market for us and we are still establishing our presence there, but it’s a soccer-loving nation like us that shares South Africa’s pride and excitement about hosting the first ever Soccer World Cup in Africa in 2010 – the biggest sporting event ever to take place on the continent. We wanted to use the Kenyan Leisure Showcase as a platform to share with our African tourists what they would be able to do in the Western Cape with their free time during the World Cup, as well as what they would need to come back for on a later occasion,” says Calvyn Gilfellan, acting CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited.
As the single greatest tourism opportunity for South Africa and the Western Cape, the 2010 Soccer World Cup is expected to bring approximately 400 000 visitors to the country – about 240 000 of them to the Western Cape – and an estimated audience of almost 4 billion viewers.
In preparation for 2010, the Western Cape tourism industry will over the next two years focus, amongst others, on key football markets in Africa, such as Kenya and Nigeria. As the province’s tourism marketing organisation Cape Town Routes Unlimited will, besides raising brand awareness in these markets, also be looking at forming joint marketing agreements with tourism stakeholders, trade and media partners, and organisers of key events.
Boasting eight of South Africa’s top ten tourist attractions, Cape Town and the Western Cape draws the lion`s share of international visitors to South Africa – over 65%. What makes the city and province so special, is most probably its diversity and splendour.
“The true beauty of the Western Cape lies in its eclectic mix of people. Our latest research shows that Cape Town and the Western Cape’s friendliness and hospitality have scored the city and province top marks with tourists this holiday season (December 2006 – January 2007). This was followed by its extraordinary fauna and flora, people and scenery. And the best part of it all is that about a third of international and two thirds of domestic tourists that visited the province over this period are planning to come back within a year,” says Mr Gilfellan.
According to a recent survey commissioned by Cape Town Routes Unlimited into visitor trends and patterns over the holiday season, the Western Cape also appears to be shrugging off its image as a destination that is less welcoming to black visitors than white visitors.
Part of the survey dealt with black visitors’ experiences and trends during the festive season, as the destination has in the past been perceived as unwelcoming by some – mainly tourists from Africa and domestic tourists. The responses by black visitors in the recent survey were very much on a par with those of white visitors. Thirty-four percent of black respondents and the same percentage of white respondents regarded the welcome they had received as excellent.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
