Cape Town - In an effort to foster local tourism for inclusive growth, the City tourism directorate conducted a tour to showcase local experiences to enjoy in Langa.
The tour featured interactions with local entrepreneurs including the owner of local restaurant Jordan Ways of Cooking, Wheels on Meals and Vusa Rugby and Learning Academy and Ikhaya Lelanga.
It also showcased significant landscapes, tourist destinations, social organisations and the rich history of the area.
Mayco Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management James Vos said the aim was to ensure that Capetonians were able to visit all corners of the city and explore its incredible uniqueness.
“There is going to be a strong focus on conversion, because from that it becomes actual bookings and these benefit business. Our mission is to ensure that the tourism businesses in Cape Town are on the road to recovery.
“We want to do a deep dive into Cape Town’s value proposition, things that make the city unique, its colours and cuisine. In Cape Town it is about our people, warmth, heritage, culture and what we experienced during this tour is what we want to showcase to the world,” he said.
Vos said while a lot of people perceive Cape Town to be an exclusive and expensive destination, they wanted to break down those barriers to show that it was affordable, without compromising quality.
“When we talk about inclusive growth it’s ensuring that the businesses in the tourism value chain are on the road to recovery but it’s also about the customers, buyers, the travellers and we have to ensure that we consider those two components of our value proposition,” said Vos.
Ncumisa Ndlakuhlolo, who runs a three bedroom guest house, said the pandemic had brought her business to a stand still.
“For six months we were not working. It was difficult, because this is our source of income and we could not get any relief funds and it forced us into debt. At least things are starting to look up, as last week we welcomed guests for the first time after the hiatus,” she said.
Langa Tourism Forum chairperson Mcebisi Mgobozi said while there were a number of tourist destinations in the area, this was not benefiting the community.
“We need to showcase the positive things that we are doing for ourselves. Langa used to be a house of jazz, a hub of fun and we need to showcase our talents and social entrepreneurs has a rich history we have to take advantage of,” he said.