Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog

We asked Cape Town Tourism on Saturday why they had not informed members of Cape Town Tourism of the Private Home Registration program they have launched.   Lianne Burton, spokesperson of Cape Town Tourism, has apologised for this communication error, and sent the following statement to Cape Town Tourism members today: 

“With regard to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as Cape Town’s official tourism authority, Cape Town Tourism’s role is to ensure that the expectations of World Cup visitors are met and exceeded to ensure a lasting tourism legacy for Cape Town. Hence our decision to offer full paid membership to Cape Town Tourism for temporary accommodation providers, covering the costs of assessing their accommodation to ensure that it meets our minimum requirements, advising owners on visitor services and guest relations standards, and offering potential visitors an assurance that there is comeback via Cape Town Tourism if they are unhappy.

This is our role as the Visitor Services organisation for Cape Town and we are committed to fulfilling it for the benefit of Cape Town’s tourism sector as a whole. Bad visitor experiences, even if they are as a result of temporary accommodation promises not being delivered on, will hurt Cape Town’s reputation for offering exceptional accommodation for every budget; from 5 star Hotels to Backpackers, B&Bs and private homes or tented villages. Great visitor experiences during the 2010 FIFA World Cup will ensure repeat business for the tourism sector. Ours is a long-term view and we are committed to this vision.”

Lianne also replied to our questions addressed to Cape Town Tourism regarding the Private Home registration program:

Why have you not informed us as members of Cape Town Tourism about this?

Bad visitor experiences, even if they are as a result of temporary
accommodation promises not being delivered on, will hurt Cape Town’s
reputation for offering exceptional accommodation for every budget; we are
known for our excellent accommodation standards, and we would like this to
apply over the World Cup period, whether for 5 star Hotels, Backpackers, B
and Bs, private homes, university residences or temporary tented villages.

The established tourism industry stands to suffer if unscrupulous temporary
accommodation providers aiming to make a quick buck take advantage of
unsuspecting World Cup visitors. The entire tourism sector will then be
tarred with the same brush and Cape Town’s reputation as a quality
destination will be damaged, to the detriment of everyone working in
tourism.

In contrast, great visitor experiences during the 2010 World Cup will ensure
repeat business for the established tourism sector, since most temporary
accommodation providers are purely focused on the World Cup opportunity and
will not be operational beyond June and July 2010.  Hence the repeat
business generated as a result of Cape Town¹s standards of excellence in the
established and temporary accommodation sector during the World Cup, will
greatly benefit established accommodation providers.

Cape Town Tourism’s is certainly a long-term view and we are committed to
this vision.”

What survey have you done to establish what our availability is for the
World Cup, especially if we have not contracted with MATCH?

“Cape Tourism in the process of refining our online accommodation and tour
operator listings and booking system and will be advising members of the
strategy shortly. Our contact centre is currently fielding 2010
accommodation booking queries and passing on all enquiries to members who
meet the criteria outlined in the requests in terms of number of rooms,
proximity to the stadium, budget etc.

“Why would you want to divert attention from your stated objective, i.e. to
market Cape Town and its products, to advise and organise non-professional
private home owners in their marketing?

During a sport-intensive week and the death of Michael Jackson, a very important announcement by Cape Town Tourism, as well as a “Joint statement: City of Cape Town and Western Cape Provincial Government”, about the execution of a joint ‘Strategic Destination Marketing Plan’ by Cape Town Tourism and Cape Town Routes Unlimited, did not receive the attention it deserved from the tourism industry.

Designed to eliminate the duplication of marketing activity between the two tourism marketing bodies, a meeting was set up to focus on the growth of visitors to Cape Town and the Western Cape, and to ensure that tourism withstands political changes.

Cape Town Tourism’s mandate to market Cape Town has been extended by another year, Cape Town Tourism’s Mariette du Toit-Helmbold announced in her statement.

The statement released by the City and the Province was the following:

Joint Statement: City of Cape Town and Western Cape Provincial Government

The City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape met on Monday, 22 June and agreed to jointly develop a sustainable solution to market Cape Town and the Western Cape as a globally competitive tourism destination. The discussions were hosted by the Western Cape Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Mr Alan Winde and the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development and Tourism, Alderman Felicity Purchase.

Also present at the meeting were the Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers of Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU) and Cape Town Tourism (CTT). Winde said: “The opportunity to find a lasting solution to manage tourism for destination Cape Town and the Western Cape has never been better. There is a need for all spheres of government to work together so that an environment can be created for business and residents to work in partnership with us. We have given the mandate to the officials to jointly develop a lasting solution for tourism marketing. It is important that the solution is able to withstand changes in political leadership and ensures no duplication.”

Ald Purchase added: “The Fifa 2010 World Cup is around the corner and we should not allow this opportunity to be missed. The City will, in the meantime, continue to use CTT to provide Destination Marketing and Visitor Services…”.

The timeframe for developing a sustainable model will be nine months and the key focus will be on how to best increase the number of visitors to Cape Town and the Western Cape.

Ald Purchase further said: “Both the City and Province agreed that it is important to be open minded about the outcome…Ultimately, we would like to see government provide an enabling environment for the tourism sector to grow and create more jobs in the economy. It is therefore important for the proposed solution to provide business and other key stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute resources and participate in the decision making”.

During the meeting both the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape agreed that the Constitution would provide the guiding foundation for the appropriate solution. Both parties also acknowledged that the proposed solution would inform possible legislative changes that are required for tourism to grow.

Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com