Local tourism establishments in Langa and Bo-Kaap will this week host some of the world’s top tourism industry buyers who are attending the World Travel Market (WTM) Africa.
Buyers from key source markets around the globe will explore one of Cape Town’s most distinct neighbourhoods, the Bo-Kaap. They will also be able to experience life as a local in Langa, one of the city’s oldest townships. This will be done through a series of scheduled tours which have been arranged by the City of Cape Town.
Below is a media statement by the city's executive mayor, Patricia De Lille.
"The City has been a proud supporter of the event since 2015 which enables local entrepreneurs to meet and engage with top tourism industry buyers and trade visitors from around the world. This year, the City decided to do something different – offering buyers a first-hand experience of tourism products in the local areas.
In Langa, buyers will enjoy a walking tour of the Langa Quarter – 13 streets and a nucleus of 200 homes which have been transformed into restaurants, galleries, informal bars and craft stores. This will be followed by lunch with the locals. The Bo-Kaap experience includes a visit to the Auwal Masjid, the oldest mosque in South Africa, a stop at the oldest spice shop in the area, a visit to the Bo-Kaap museum and a Cape Malay cooking class at Faldela’s. I look forward to joining buyers on this tour on Thursday.
I am delighted that the travel industry royalty, potential buying customers with key decision-making power, will be afforded a first-hand experience of our local tourism gems.
The exposure that these local tourism businesses will receive is invaluable. Through this opportunity, they have a chance to meet potential distributors and buyers, identify strategic partners and position themselves globally.
This is in line with the City’s goals as contained in the Organisational Development and Transformation Plan to promote economic inclusion and position Cape Town as a forward-looking, globally competitive business destination.
In addition to the tours, local travel technology company Discoverikasi will deliver a talk at WTM Africa’s Travel Tech Theatre on the development of townships as destinations and the challenges faced by small businesses in the tourism industry.
WTM Africa, which is part of Africa Travel Week, is the continent’s largest international travel industry event. The show attracts approximately 500 international tourism industry buyers, 4 500 trade visitors, 220 members of the media and 600 exhibitors from across Africa and the world.
Show highlights this year include the launch of WTM Africa Festivals, billed as the ultimate social experience after the traditional working hours at WTM Africa; an Investors Forum focused on unlocking the tourism potential of Africa, and a Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) conference."
Chardonnay Marchesi, South Africa Portfolio Director for Reed Exhibitions’ Travel, Tourism and Sports Portfolio – the organisers of WTM Africa, said, "Africa has long been identified as a continent bursting with potential within the tourism and travel sectors. WTM Africa 2018 is further recognition of this potential and in 2018, we’re ready to welcome more exhibitors from Africa than ever before. We have seen a significant increase in exhibitors and have as such, opted to expand the floor space used for stands at the Cape Town International Convention Centre for WTM Africa this year."
WTM Africa takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 18 to 20 April 2018. For more information about the show, visit www.africa.wtm.com.