September was tourism month and in true Eastern Cape fashion, the province put on its brightest colours to commemorate this international celebration and tradition. World Tourism Day, held annually on 27 September since 1980, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the Organization in 1970, which paved the way for the establishment of UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) in 1975. As a firm favourite on the global tourism industry calendar, the Eastern Cape’s 2022 celebrations and initiatives were geared to inspire citizens to explore their backyards and revel in the unique tourism offerings found in the Eastern Cape.
As the official destination marketing agency, The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency kicked off Tourism Month on a high note with a launch event on 1 September 2022 at the Tsitsikamma Village Inn, in the picturesque and quaint village of Storms River. The Agency utilised this platform to showcase and introduce the various initiatives and campaigns, which were to form the foundation of the activities and engagements for Tourism Month.
As part of the programme, dignitaries and panel speakers reflected on the 2022 Tourism Month theme centred around “Re-thinking Tourism”. This theme was birthed from the notion that as the world is recovering from the pandemic, tourism’s relevance has never been clearer and that the time has come to capitalise on this opportunity to rethink how we ‘do’ tourism. The tourism sector was hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and domestic tourism has shown to be a key driver to help the industry get back on its feet and onto the road to recovery.
With a firm eye on the domestic market and local travel demands, the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency launched a robust arsenal of exciting campaigns and activations to cater to various market segments and target markets. Campaign content was specifically and strategically developed to not only entice and encourage travel but also to educate and get people to be brand ambassadors of Eastern Cape travel and tourism.
Key campaigns and initiatives included a media tour that aimed to showcase the diverse tourism offering to South African media. In addition to this, the Agency ran various competitions in the form of the “Holi-Tale”, “So you think you know the Eastern Cape?” and Instagram travel inspiration competitions. These competitions offered attractive and substantial travel prizes of over R100 000 in value.
Tourism trade was also supported through Speed Marketing Workshops in the Tsitsikamma region and province-wide destination training to equip frontline staff with service excellence and destination knowledge. The “By Nature” campaign was inspired by highlighting the natural beauty of the Eastern Cape with a line-up of inspiring Eastern Cape attractions and celebrated the scenic beauty of the province. The “Disconnect to Reconnect” campaign aimed to fight digital fatigue and reconnect people with friends and family, with a 50% discount at provincial nature reserves for bookings of 4 or more people. The Agency also offered 50% discounts for bookings made during September at the newly revamped Silaka Provincial Nature Reserve in Port St. Johns.
The Agency also embarked on an awareness campaign to promote the iconic Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site. In the spirit of Tourism Month, you can also enjoy free access to selected ECPTA managed provincial nature reserves from 1-9 October 2022. To further encourage and enable local travel the ECPTA curated amazing and heavily discounted travel deals that were promoted on the provincial deals’ platform www.ectraveldeals.co.za. This deal’s platform is available throughout the year and brings you the best of travel deals at the best possible prices.
With so much to do and see, some for free and some at more affordable rates, it has never been easier to explore your own backyard. Travel and explore local. Be part of the tribe of dedicated travellers that will kick start the recovery of an industry in dire need of resuscitation and support. As the industry “rethinks tourism” it is important for consumers to “rethink” the importance and benefits of local travel and tourism. Discover and experience the best the Eastern Cape has to offer and remember the Eastern Cape is: “Yours to Explore”.
