​The acting chief executive officer of Joburg Tourism, Phelisa Mangcu said the awareness initiative is intended to also bolster civic pride, effectively utilising residents and locals as advocates and ambassadors for their City. 
 
“With spring in the air, we encourage locals to enjoy experiencing their city anew – being a tourist in your hometown  - delving into history, the arts, culture, heritage, not forgetting all the lifestyle activities - like a visitor would do. Try out a new restaurant or hotel, take the Gautrain and the Rea Vaya and explore corners of Joburg you might never have even known about before.   Immerse yourself in what makes our destination and our city unique, this is what building a domestic tourism base and culture is all about, said Mangcu.
 
As part of its Tourism Month activities, Joburg Tourism invited its stakeholders to enjoy time out on a glorious Joburg spring afternoon and discover a gem in their own backyard- the stylish 54 On Bath Boutique Hotel in Rosebank.  exterior2
 
Monthly capture Joburg photographic competition
 
In July Joburg Tourism and Vega School joined forces to run their first collaborative photographic competition -  Capture Joburg, offering prizes to the value of R40 000. Aside from showcasing Joburg through the lenses of keen photographers, the objectives of the competition included identifying the talents of up and coming Joburg photographers and promoting their work.  The competition was so enthusiastically embraced by the students that it quickly went viral - and due to public interest, this first phase of the competition was expanded to include an open category for the general public.
 
“Having attracted over 800 entries, we were delighted with the response to the first phase of the very first photographic competition we have run with Vega School and have now launched a monthly competition,” said Mangcu.  Widespread public participation is encouraged and entries can be submitted online, by visiting:   http://www.capturejoburg.com
 
Mangcu said 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 the Johannesburg Tourism’s strategy to attract increasing visitor numbers to Joburg, encourage them to stay longer, spend more improve seasonality patterns and the spread of visitors across the city. 
 
“As the City of Johannesburg’s destination marketing organisation, Joburg Tourism remains focused on positioning the city 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”, she said.
 
Related stories
City launches tourism campaign
Tourism plans for Alex
Tourism trio formed