Role-players in the tourism industry got together last week to discuss important topics such as tourism trends during the Tourism Indaba hosted by Overstrand Municipality.
The event, said Councillor Clinton Lerm, Overstrand Mayco member for investment, infrastructure and tourism, formed part of the Overstrand Municipality’s drive to “develop a tourism strategy that speaks to what the industry wants and not what the municipality considers to be priorities”.
Topics addressed at the indaba include optimising online booking platforms, investigating traditional versus non-traditional source markets, travel trends, and the value of having accommodation establishments graded.
Overstrand Executive Mayor Dr Annelie Rabie invited participants to give their input with the drafting of a visionary tourism strategy. The goal, she stated, is to grow the economy of the Overstrand and the surrounding region.
Rabie welcomed the Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, who shared insights on the combination of agriculture and tourism, which he said is the hope for growth and development.
“Agri-tourism is the new gold,” Meyer stated.
He emphasised that positive experiences attract investment. “People arrive as a tourist and evolve to become an investor,” he explained.
Lerm planted the seed to rename Overstrand as Cape Whale Coast or Whale Coast, adding that a public-participation process regarding this would be followed at some point.
The importance of tapping into local icons, such as the Hermanus Whale Crier and exploring the spectacular Clarence Drive, was also discussed. Sustainability, collaboration important
Wilfred Chivell of Marine Dynamics and Dyer Island Conservation, Catherine Nyqvist of Panthera Africa, Clayton Niemand of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and Jessica Smith of White Shark Projects discussed the increased importance of sustainable tourism practices.
They explained travellers feel connected to an area and tourism product if they contribute to the welfare of the animals and people. Sustainable tourism is about more than environmentally friendly practices such as recycling and water saving.
Online booking platforms were unpacked by Theresa Emerick of NightsBridge and ActivityBridge, who explained the importance of an online presence and how this can be achieved.
She confirmed online bookings have surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 figures and said 2024 looks to be a phenomenal year.
A lively discussion by Trevor Hewett (African Pride Tours), Martina Barth (The Liz McGrath Collection), and Ali Abdullah (Thompsons Africa) gave insight into source markets.
They concurred collaboration is key in moving forward.
A few pointers included an increase in travel from African countries, especially East Africa, where no visas for visiting South Africa are required, Chinese travellers are activity-orientated, and halaal and vegan tourism are increasing.
Professor Jayne Rogerson of the University of Johannesburg and Daleen Fouché of South African National Space Agency (Sansa) shared details about travel trends.
Rogerson pointed out that therapeutic spaces attract visitors who wished to feed their soul, and glamping – luxury camping in nature – is also in demand.
Ross Kata of The Perfections Group, said tourism role players should consider where the main sources of business income originate from and concentrate efforts on these sources.
Other issues discussed included that staff working in the tourism sector needed to sharpen their skills, the lack of parking for coach tour buses and minibuses and providing a combination of an activity, gastronomy and arts and culture experience.
“The indaba laid the foundation for a visionary strategy for Overstrand Tourism,” said Lerm.
