Gauteng packaged tours a missed opportunity

AS PART of its strategy
to grow tourism to
Gauteng, increase
length of stay and encourage
South Africans from other
provinces to enjoy its
facilities, experiences and
attractions, the Gauteng
Tourism Authority (GTA)
is calling on the trade to
leverage off major events
taking place in the province.
Barba Gaoganediwe,
GTA’s senior manager of
destination and corporate
communications, says the
GTA would like to encourage
travel agents and tour
operators to use major
events as a draw card.
“We’d like to see the
trade creating attractive
packages around events,
packaging two- to three-night
weekend or midweek stays,
and include some of the
fantastic experiences on
offer in Gauteng.”
For example, the Bulls vs
Sharks rugby match that
took place at Loftus
Versfeld in Pretoria on
February 28.
“Visitors from other
provinces should not just fly
in for the match. The match
should be part of a larger
itinerary that includes the
Dinokeng Game Reserve,
the Cullinan mines and the
Union Buildings as well as
experiences at restaurants
and bars in the area,” says
Barba.
An upcoming event the
trade could package is the
DStv Delicious International
Food & Music Festival on
June 6 at Waterfall Polo
Estate in Midrand, says
Barba.
The event attracts around
40 000 people. A package
could, for example, include
flights, accommodation,
event tickets, a visit to
the Cradle of Humankind,
a bicycle tour of Soweto
and hanging out in the
Maboneng District.
Business events
TMCs can also benefit from
the business events sector
while promoting tourism in
the province, says Nonnie
Kubeka, executive manager
of the Gauteng Convention
Bureau (GCB).
“Many local corporates
use their TMCs to arrange
travel and accommodation.
We’d like to encourage
TMCs to upsell, offering
clients tours and
experiences pre or post
their meeting or conference.
 “We’re targeting
international association
meetings in the
manufacturing, sports,
education, finance, aviation,
mining, research, and
health sectors, so there
is enormous opportunity
for the local trade to
offer packages to local
corporates that attend these
business events. Many
of these events offer prearranged
pre and post tours
but space is often limited,
so there’s nothing stopping
TMCs from arranging their
own tours for delegates
using the same itinerary,”
she says.
Companies with head
offices in South Africa
and a footprint in Africa or
globally who are hosting
strategic meetings and
corporate team-building
events in Gauteng could
arrange these meetings
around major events in
the province, such as golf
tournaments or festivals,
which delegates could
attend, Nonnie says.
“We have many innovative
meeting spaces in the
province and the fantastic
experiences TMCs can offer
clients can be aligned with
these meeting or teambuilding
agendas.”
TMCs could also target
the exhibition sector, says
Nonnie.
“On stand build and strike
days, exhibitors have little
to do, so TMCs can arrange
tours or experiences for
them on those days,” she
concludes.