Industry stakeholders intend to move Gauteng closer to the heart of South Africa’s global destination marketing efforts, which include the revival of private sector-led joint marketing agreements with international travel buyers.
Destination marketing and the negative perceptions of the province on the global stage were core topics of discussion at a public-private sector Tourism Roundtable event hosted by the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED) in Johannesburg on Friday, October 24.
SATSA CEO David Frost said the formation of joint marketing agreements will be a key focus area for the private sector (working in partnership with SA Tourism and provincial tourism boards) heading into WTM London from November 4-6.
“The big move that we’re working on immediately is a proper joint marketing agreement programme where we partner with big operators overseas,” said Frost.
He said this and various other initiatives will be funded through the R500 million (US$29 million) collected by the TBCSA from the TOMSA levy.
“We have amazing product in Gauteng and have been working diligently as SATSA to craft multiple itineraries, as showcased to almost 300 delegates at our annual conference in September. We want to show international operators that they don’t have to place Cape Town in every itinerary,” said Frost.
He further called for the organisation of a mega-fam trip showcasing the destination to “between 40 and 50” top DMCs.
“This is based on best practice with regard to what SA Tourism has done with places like the West Coast, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. If you don’t get product managers from DMCs to come and experience Johannesburg and Gauteng, they will never sell it or they won’t sell it with confidence,” said Frost.
Frost added that the private sector – led by the top CEOs of South Africa’s DMCs – is on a new drive to adapt marketing initiatives to cater to AI-led digital search mechanisms.
“There is a concerted private-sector push to start catering to AI algorithms so that we can spread tourism throughout the country.”
Action Labs seek to boost public-private alignment
Barbara Ziyane, Chief Director of Economic Planning at the GDED, said provincial government will focus on boosting public-private sector alignment through Action Labs identified for 10 high-growth economic sectors including tourism.
“These will be chaired by an industry leader and we’re looking at small, confined focus groups consisting of between 12 to 15 members. In terms of composition, 40% of members will be business leaders and the rest split between government, the investment community and policy advocates,” said Ziyane.
Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) Chairperson Judi Nwokedi said the province’s narrative needs to move from one of untapped potential to tangible creation of tourism opportunities.
“Our strategy must be relentless. We must unify our story, weaving together the distinct threads from all our metros, our districts, our hostels, our informal settlements and our townships into one compelling story of Gauteng. We need a dedicated team at every major international trade show – ready to tell the story and secure our place on the global stage.”
The roundtable also saw the soft launch of GTA’s new GP Live platform – an over-the-top app housing video content and information on the province’s attractions and events. Among other uses, GTA intends to partner with hotels to feature the platform on in-room smart TVs.
