November 9, 2004
By Tammy O'Reilly
JOHANNESBURG is about to take its rightful place as one of South Africa's premier tourism destinations.
This comes after recent initiatives to bolster tourism were cemented with the formation of several business-driven nodes in specific areas around the city.
Johannesburg has identified eight tourism nodes for attention. Organisations, called Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs), have already been set up in seven of these areas.
The main objective of the DMOs, a concept backed by the Johannesburg Tourism Company and the City of Johannesburg, is to oversee the growth of tourism in specific areas, through the direct involvement of local business communities.
The latest addition to the concept is the Midrand Tourism Association, which was officially launched at Gallagher Estate in Midrand on Friday 5 November.
Johannesburg Tourism Company's CEO Deon Viljoen, addressing what he described as the best turnout at such a launch, said: "DMOs can disseminate tourism information to businesses to adapt their services in ways that are appealing to tourists."
Members of these organisations consist primarily of stakeholders in the tourism industry, including hoteliers, tour operators, curators and managers of places of interest.
"The background to the formation of DMOs lies in the national government's policy that tourism should be government-led, business-driven and community-based," said Viljoen.
One of the challenges facing the DMOs is to increase visitors' stay by at least a day.
In 2002, statistics showed that Johannesburg attracted more than six million tourists. Of that figure three million came as domestic tourists, two million were from neighbouring countries and the remainder were from overseas.
The average length of stay was 2.9 days, whereas Cape Town attracted tourists for an average of 8.6 days.
"These figures indicate that we are already receiving the visitors. Now the DMOs need to demonstrate to them the attractions that we have so they can extend their stay by a day, or come here a day earlier," Viljoen said.
Concerning the first node, the Sandton Tourism Association was formed in 2000 and, according to Viljoen, is a highly successful, well-organised body whose main focus is on business in the area.
The Alexandra Tourism Business Association is marketing the area as the "colourful" node of Johannesburg, where tourists can experience township living firsthand.
Another node earmarked as a major potential destination is Soweto, where history and heritage abound. The recently re-established Soweto Tourism Association aims to highlight this to visitors and potential visitors from now on. While Soweto is already an established brand around the world, there are concerns that it is being under marketed.
The Rosebank node, meanwhile, exudes a garden ambience with open spaces, relaxed shopping malls and character-filled restaurants, which is the focus of the Greater Rosebank Tourism Association.
Another of the eight nodes, the inner city, is currently going through a process of regeneration, following a period of neglect and stagnation.
The Inner City Tourism Association, set up in September this year, has taken on the task of liasing with tourism stakeholders to contribute towards positive development in the inner city.
In the south of the city, the Southern Johannesburg Organisation is promoting this area as an outdoor entertainment node. A popular draw card is Gold Reef City, which houses a casino, hotel and amusement park. Even the many museums in the area are being incorporated into the drive to promote the area.
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