Johannesburg set to promote tourism at local community level

The background to this approach lies in the official national policy that tourism should be government led, business driven and community based. Says Deon Viljoen, CEO of The Johannesburg Tourism Company: "The first leg of this policy is firmly in place, with the government having boosted resources and finance to tourism in recent years. At a corporate level, big business has also come to the party with the major hotel chains, tour companies and other stakeholders playing a leading role in tourism promotion. However, at the small and medium business and local community level much can still be done - and achieved."

Eight tourism nodes have been identified in the Johannesburg area. They are the Johannesburg Inner City District, Southern Johannesburg, Greater Rosebank, Soweto, Alexandra, Sandton, Roodepoort and Randburg and Midrand. Each has distinctive cultural and tourism attractions that can be marketed successfully if there is a strong DMO in place.
There is the heritage and history that abounds in Soweto, the cultural venues and exciting rejuvenation of the Inner City, including Newtown, Constitution Hill and the Drill Hall. Southern Johannesburg has unique entertainment activities and amusement parks such as Gold Reef City, Wemmer Pan, Mini Town and the skating rink.

Alexandra, with a rhythm of its own, has a history going back generations. Sandton is a throbbing business and commercial centre, while Rosebank exudes a garden ambience with open spaces, relaxed shopping malls and character charged restaurants. In contrast, Midrand has a "country" atmosphere with a growing business component that includes a strong government presence, as epitomised now by the Pan-African Parliament. Roodepoort, on the West Rand, has its own mining history and heritage and links with many attractions in neighbouring territories.

Viljoen stresses that crucial to the DMO concept is that small business must play a pro-active role in promoting tourism. "They can't afford to sit back and wait for funding and benefits from national and provincial governments to trickle down to them," he says. "If they do, they'll lose out. They must go out there and fetch the opportunities and value that government and its agencies have created for tourism. They must pick the jewels that are available and those which will best suit their local environment and tourism attractions."

It is imperative that small business assumes responsibility for tourism culture, products and development, adds Viljoen.

The Johannesburg Tourism Company, as a public/private sector company with the full backing of the Johannesburg City Council, is ready and eager to act as a liaison and cohesive factor in this, says Viljoen.

"We have the resources and contacts to help these eight nodes get the best deal from the province and the national government," he says. "But I can't speak for all the business and community bodies in Greater Johannesburg. The voice that speaks to government and the public must be theirs, through the Johannesburg Tourism Company."

Viljoen adds that for DMO to be successful, there must be coordination between different stakeholders, such as hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and car rental firms. "Tourism is a cross-cutting industry that simply won't prosper in a compartmentalised set-up," he says. "You have to get everybody talking together with a common mission."

In pursuance of the DMO concept, a Greater Rosebank Tourism Association and an Inner-City Tourism Association have already been established with the support of the Johannesburg Tourism Company. The Sandton Tourism Association and Southern Johannesburg Association has long been established and the Alexandra and Soweto Tourism Associations rekindled. Viljoen says that the other two identified nodes all have tourism associations or representative business associations that can initiate DMO. He is hopeful that all eight nodes will have associations in place by the end of November.

"When we reach that goal," he says, "Then all these tourism businesses in the tourism nodes of Johannesburg can look forward to direct access to opportunities and markets that the Johannesburg Tourism Company can make available."