Joburg goes to Durban

The Johannesburg Tourism Company will be launching its winter campaign at the annual Tourism Indaba, to several thousand delegates from around the world.
JOBURG will be putting her most fabulous foot forward when a team from the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC) travels to Durban to network with national and international travel partners and stakeholders and unveil the organisation’s winter campaign.

Tourism Indaba 2012These activities will form part of the JTC’s participation in one of Africa’s largest tourism events, the annual Tourism Indaba, to be hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from 12 to 15 May.

As well as networking and showcasing what will get trendy Joburgers and her visitors through the bleak winter months, the JTC will spread some warmth by announcing the second winner of its annual Joburg SMME (small, medium and micro enterprises) Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Much anticipation surrounds the unveiling of the JTC’s seasonal campaigns, as they offer residents a full social calendar of the best that the city of gold has up its sleeve. The winter campaign is an annual one and this year falls under the banner “A hot winter forecast for Joburg”.

Laura Vercueil from the JTC says: “The campaign forms part of the JTC’s marketing strategy to entrench Joburg as a global, year-round business and leisure destination, brimming with special events, attractions, tastes, sights and sounds to encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more and enjoy exploring further afield.”

History
This campaign aims to highlight the never-ending delights available to residents and visitors. “Although Joburg is such a youthful city, having celebrated its 125th anniversary last year, it is a treasure trove of economic, social, political and anthropological history,” says the acting chief executive officer of the JTC, Phelisa Mangcu.

“The city boasts layer upon layer of fascinating history, development and human interest stories – of course not forgetting the leisure and lifestyle aspects of entertainment, sports, music, arts and culture,” she says. “At Joburg Tourism, we work with both the public and private sector to publicise the development of city precincts, nodes, sites, attractions and products which are of interest to both locals and visitors.”

It is these aspects that the entity will focus on in its winter campaign, with particular emphasis on three recently introduced routes to explore. The nature route, Indian route and adventure route promise to provide a new lens through which to view the city.

Joburg will unveil its Winter Campaign at the Indaba Joburg will unveil its Winter Campaign at the Indaba The nature route will take visitors to sites of anthropological importance, as well as prove that there are more than skyscrapers and pollution to the concrete jungle; the Indian route will provide a historical and cultural context of the Indian community of Joburg, focusing particularly on Mahatma Gandhi’s time here from 1903 to 1914; and the adventure route will cater to the adrenaline junkies eager to get their blood pumping.

A growing sector in Joburg’s tourism market is urban tourism, and the JTC will be focusing specifically on this in its winter campaign. Urban tourism involves exploring the nuances of the city centre, and Joburg has a plethora to offer in this regard. “This includes the rejuvenation of entire districts or precincts, along with the development of public street art, pedestrianised zones, heritage zones and lifestyle activities like the Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein and the Sunday market at Arts on Main,” Vercueil explains.

These strategies all fall within the mandate of the JTC to expand the tourism sector as an economic growth imperative of Joburg, as it was defined in the City’s growth and development strategy (GDS) – Joburg 2040 – which was launched in October 2011. The GDS is an aspirational document that will guide Joburg’s development paths into 2040.

Participation in events such as the Tourism Indaba plays a critical role in helping the JTC achieve this mandate. “Our ongoing local and international promotional campaigns include exhibiting at business and leisure trade exhibitions where JTC shares its plan to maintain, defend and grow its market share,” Mangcu says.

Mangcu and her team will be joined by over 13 000 delegates from all around the globe at the four-day indaba. It is regarded as one of the top trade shows, not just in Africa but around the world, and has won the Association of World Travel Award for being Africa’s best travel and tourism show for the past two years.