The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) has appointed Urban-Econ Development Economists to assist in the coordination and setting up of a tourism information and data collation system.
This information and research will be essential to substantiate our destination development and marketing decisions and to support our promotion and development mandate.
Tourism statistics in South Africa are well-established at a national level and reported at the provincial level. However, the statistics at the sub-national level are not reported timeously and lack substance in addressing the needs of provincial authorities.
To address this issue, the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) developed the Eastern Cape Provincial Tourism Knowledge, Information and Data System Framework.
Currently, the province does not have a tourism research function, but this approach will assist ECPTA to ensure the function is capacitated and delivers on addressing questions like:
- Why are tourists visiting the different regions in the province?
- What are their preferences, travel patterns, key activities and primary attractions?
- What are potential and current tourist perceptions and satisfaction levels?
- How well is the tourism sector performing?
- What challenges are experienced by the tourism sector?
- How successful are the marketing and branding campaigns of the ECPTA?
Having a better understanding of our audience and the environment will equip us with more relevant products and how to thrive under specific circumstances. We will be able to define a competitive edge by finding ways of being unique in the marketplace and plan initiatives that benefit the tourism sector. This market research is the first step towards a comprehensive understanding of the industry, its customers, competitors and towards an effective growth strategy.
As part of the process of developing the system, ECPTA and Urban Econ conducted three surveys for accommodation, tourist intercept, destination awareness and perception. The information will enable the province to monitor the performance of tourism and its impact on the economy. The research will also provide valuable decision-making data for planning and development purposes, that will help to determine trends and seasonality.
