13-11-2012: Joburg Tourism returns from successful WTM – and needs your vote!
The Joburg Tourism Company has just returned from the World Travel Market in London, with the exciting news that Joburg Tourism has been nominated in World Travel Awards 2012 in the category: World's Leading Tourist Board. “This being the second time Joburg Tourism has been nominated, we’re thrilled with the news and call on all our stakeholders to please support our nomination by voting online for JTC,” says Acting CEO, Phelisa Mangcu.
The official online voting is now open at www.worldtravelawards.com/vote and will conclude on 25th November 2012. The votes are cast by travel, tourism and hospitality professionals and the consumer traveller, whether leisure or business. A vote cast by a registered travel agency employee carries a weighting of two whilst the consumer vote counts as one vote.
The World Travel Awards was founded in 1993 to recognise, acknowledge and reward excellence in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry worldwide. Now in their 19th year, World Travel Awards is regarded as the highest achievement in travel, tourism and hospitality. A full list of nominations is available on the World Travel Awards website at www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees
The Joburg team exhibited at annual World Travel Market in London [5 – 8 November 2012, Excel Exhibition Centre], where they updated industry stakeholders on forthcoming Joburg signature events, a new seasonal campaign and other destination marketing news.
This year, as part of its CSI initiatives and brand awareness, JTC supported the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards, in the Best Carbon Reduction Initiative, where Sawadee Reizen
emerged as the winners of the category. Sawadee Reizen [www.sawadee.nl] is a Dutch company, specialising in small group adventure tours, who identified that changing to direct “point-to-point” flights is the most effective way of reducing the carbon footprint of trips, resulting in a reduction in carbon emissions by an average of 10%. The judges were impressed by the clarity of Sawadee’s understanding of the issue, their acceptance that tourism contributes to the problem, and their willingness to begin to address the issue.
Launched in 2004, the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards are run in association with partners World Travel Market, Metro Newspaper, Geographical Magazine and ICRETH at Leeds Metropolitan University.
For more information about all the Award Winners and Highly Commended organisations, visit the official Awards website, www.responsibletourismawards.com
JOBURG’S GDS 2040
“In terms of Johannesburg’s Growth and Development Strategy [GDS] – the Joburg 2040 [www.joburg.org.za/gds2040] - tourism remains an economic growth imperative on the city’s agenda. It is an important catalyst to encourage the development of the SMME sector in order to stimulate the growth and development of a vibrant second economy. It is Johannesburg Tourism’s strategy mission to attract visitors to Joburg, encourage them to stay longer, spend more, improve seasonality patterns and the spread of visitors across the city.”
In line with these developments and as part of the institutional review process to effect closer alignment with City goals, this year Joburg Tourism Company is being incorporated into the City’s Communication & Tourism Group. The GDS is coupled to the city’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and both are aligned with the National Planning Commission’s New Growth Path.
“Our ongoing local and international promotional campaigns include exhibiting at business and leisure trade exhibitions where Joburg Tourism shares its plans to maintain, defend and grow its market share,” says Mangcu. “As the City of Johannesburg’s destination marketing organisation, Joburg Tourism remains focused on positioning the not only as the continent’s leading business hub, but also as an exciting, vibrant year-round destination for signature events, lifestyle, the arts, culture, fashion, sports – and of course, mega-events.” /ends
