Local Tourism Punted
Our local bureaus punted the region’s top tourist attractions at the 2008 ITB international travel and tourism showcase held in Berlin, Germany last month.
Germany remains one of the core markets for the region and a dynamic team is promoting the area as a perfect tourist destination for 2010. Aimed at both German tour operators and travel agents and the broader holiday consumer market, the ITB creates a high profile marketing platform for the region in line with its current strategic business planning. Its unique offerings are showcased collectively to maximise the available financial and human resources.
According to Dianna Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Bitou Tourism, it remains vital for the Cape Garden Route and Klein Karoo to make a significant impact at these global trade and consumer shows. "Europe and in particular Germany, have always been one of most important markets and it makes financial sense for us to present a united offering. By pooling our resources, we are able to extend our footprint, participate at more of these travel showcases and eventually, capture a bigger portion of the long-haul destination market. Our combined exhibition offers such a diversity in facilities, activities and uniquely regional attractions that we can compete with the best in the world."
According to exhibition co-ordinator Ilze Jacobs from Eden District Municipality, the strategic decision to host joint exhibitions that represent the whole region is definitely showing a return on investment. "We have been encouraged by the positive response from both the trade market and the public and have seen immense interest. Not only does a show such as ITB offer actual bookings at the show, but the individual tourism offices in the surrounding towns continue to receive enquiries and bookings long after the event. When you start tracking the actual bookings for these events, it adds up to a noticeable amount. We also need to continually put pressure on decision makers in the global travel trade to reinstate our region on their itineraries," says Jacobs.
Bitou Tourism formed part of the Cape Garden Route initiative spearheaded by the Eden District Regional Tourism Organisation. Through this initiative tourism offices from nine towns in the region collaborated to create a greater presence for the Garden Route and Klein Karoo at key international trade events. The collaboration entailed more effective deployment of scarce resources and allowed a cost-effective method for the area to gain greater visibility in highly competitive European markets.
