Tourism Talk Issue 3 2020

THE TALK THIS MONTH

A Tourism Month launch, new social media initiatives and a range of tourism promotions and special offers – the Tourism Month edition of ECPTA’s Tourism Talk newsletter is a celebration of the re-opening of our sector, and a snapshot of how we are preparing to reboot and strengthen tourism in our province. READ MORE

TOURISM MONTH: CELEBRATING THE CRITICAL ROLE OF TOURISM IN RURAL UPLIFTMENT

September is Tourism Month, and this year’s theme is TOURISM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, in recognition of the important role tourism plays in rural job creation and poverty alleviation. In the Eastern Cape, we are dovetailing to this theme by offering training to product owners in rural spaces, facilitating microtrip itineraries inclusive of rural products and developing various other support initiatives geared specifically to enable and empower tourism development in rural areas. READ MORE

OPEN FOR TRAVEL – AMAZING SPECIAL TRAVEL DEALS

Save, affordable post-lockdown travel specials.

Start spreading the news – the Eastern Cape is OPEN for travel. And to drive this message home, ECPTA, has launched a new digital platform aimed specifically at showcasing post-lockdown travel deals and special offers available throughout the province over the next few months.

A dedicated microsite has been created, where a selection of the province’s
post-lockdown special offers are presented in an easy-to-navigate digital album. READ MORE

TRAVEL TRADE PARTNERSHIP

ECPTA launches new partnership with Travelstart.

Domestic tourism is our bread and butter, and will be increasingly important over the next few months as weary South Africans look inward for their summer holidays.
A new partnership with travel authority, Travelstart, is set to help us welcome more tourists to the Eastern Cape this summer. READ MORE

ECPTA PARTNERS WITH SATSAFOR FIRST EVER VIRTUAL FAMILIARISATION TOUR

Accurate, appropriate, up-to-date information is the new travel and tourism currency. ECPTA is embracing this new reality by partnering with the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) for a series of innovative virtual familiarisation tours. READ MORE

HARNESSING THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS

Five years ago, no-one had heard of hospitality influencers. In 2020, they are an essential part of our digital strategies, and in integral part of how to leverage social media for effective, real-time marketing. READ MORE

WE’VE ONLY GOT 30 SECONDS TO MAKE AN AWESOME FIRST IMPRESSION

We only have one chance to make a favourable first impression – so getting it right, first time, matters. Having previously focused on upskilling destination frontline staff, ECPTA’s internal training efforts will this year emphasise uptraining hospitality staff within selected provincial nature reserves to improve customer care skills.
READ MORE

NEW NORMAL, SAME SERVICE
EXCELLENCE FOCUS

In a post-pandemic era, service excellence – already the backbone of our industry –
will become increasingly important. Building a solution-oriented culture of customer service is essential – and this now includes proactively addressing visitors’ safety concerns. READ MORE

STRINGENT SAFETY MEASURES
NON-NEGOTIABLE IN RUN-UP TO SUMMER SEASON

There is cautious optimism throughout the province about the re-opening of the domestic tourism industry and kickstarting the summer holiday season. We cannot become complacent, however. Now, more than ever, our industry must pull together to adopt a united, non-negotiable approach to safety and health regulations.
READ MORE

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT