Cape Town should use its heritage and culture to attract tourists from around the world, mayor Patricia de Lille said.
“We know of our beauty. We know of our scenery. So does the world. But in this day and age, these assets, powerful as they are, cannot sustain us,” she said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Cape Town and Western Cape tourism destination conference.
“To truly market ourselves, we have reached into the core of our city's being, and that core is our heritage and our culture.... Indeed, this history and the future we will build shall be a new competitive advantage.”
She said the ongoing recession had taught the city that even the most established markets were vulnerable to downturns. The Cape's rich heritage and history was inviting to tourists and could sustain the industry.
It was the site of a particular Muslim identity, represented by the Kramats (burial shrines) on local hills. It was the ancient home of slavery and oppression by colonialists.
De Lille said the Cape, like the rest of the country, was a meeting point for apartheid and democracy, with sites like Robben Island and the Langa Pass Office.
“All these and so many other stories... help us realise our future potential.”
She said she wished to share this potential with the world - Sapa