Recent Tourism highlights

PHOTO: Tourism & Creative Industries portfolio chair, Clr Virginia Camealio-Benjamin

Recent Tourism highlights

The new Tourism section of the municipality is dedicated to putting Kouga on the national and international tourism map.

Some of the highlights of the past nine months have been:

·         Kouga has for the first time a dedicated councillor on the Mayoral Committee for Tourism and Creative Industries. Clr Virginia Camelio-Benjamin is driving Tourism and Creative Industries with a passion.

·         The municipality’s Tourism section markets the area locally, nationally and internationally. Other stakeholders assist with the dissemination of marketing material. The Cacadu District Municipality (CDM) plays a crucial role in distributing Kouga brochures across the district. The Eastern Cape Tourism Board (ECTB) advertises the Kouga provincially and nationally at various platforms, including their website.  Locals are requested to register on the websites of CDM and ECTB for them to have an opportunity to advertise their products more broadly.

·         Kouga’s funding application to ECTB to do a Feasibility Study and Business Plan for the establishment of Kouga Routes was successful. The municipality is linking its project to the Eastern Cape Routes Development Studies, which is in the process of development. Kouga and Baviaans (under Coastal Route) are advertised on the website of Open Africa, a tourist website with a Southern African focus.

·         The Tourism section is busy with a township tourism study. This involves exploring tourism opportunities in townships and marketing township products. This will add value to local tourism routes.

The new Tourism section is also busy with funding applications for the following programmes and items:

·         Welcoming boards and tourism maps of Jeffreys for the two entrances of the town. These have been approved and are currently out on tender.

·         Beautification of entrances to the townships of Ocean View (J’Bay), Centerton (Hankey) and Kwanomzamo (Humansdorp). The municipality is still awaiting an outcome.

·         Training of crafters in townships in order to be more geared to tourism.

·         Indigenous festivals to be launched in each town in the Kouga.  The locals will be requested to exhibit their crafts, performing arts and businesses, etc, in each town of the Kouga.  People will also be requested to exhibit and sell their wares and participate on this day, as well as to participate in performances such as storytelling.

Support to local Tourism info offices include:

·         Financial support, when and how possible (grants are dependent on the availability of funds)

·         Free office space is available, but only Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp are making use of it. 

·         Free water and free electricity.

·         Distribution of all tourism information received from various departments.

·         List of potential funders and donors are available to all offices.

The municipality further has a great relationship with the East Cape Tourism Board (ECTB)

 and they are supporting the Kouga Municipality in many aspects, i.e. exhibitions, general assistance, funding assistance, and information sessions. Kouga is part of the East Cape Tourism Route Development.