Johannesburg can look forward to accelerated business and leisure tourism in 2006 and beyond.

That’s the word from Eddy Khosa, CEO of The Johannesburg Tourism Company that is spearheading the drive for growth in both international and domestic tourism to the city.

“We have recently been given a mandate by the Johannesburg City Council to add leisure tourism to our commitment to boosting business tourism to Destination Johannesburg,” says Khosa. “We are putting into place a dynamic new marketing strategy this year.”

The JTC is run by a private sector Board with financial support from the City Council.

Khosa says that his management will be reaching out to a greater extent to local communities this year through the support of eight regional tourism associations that are driven by local business. 

“In Soweto, for example, we will be officially opening the Soweto Tourism Information Centre that will be tasked with further building tourism in Soweto, which is already the South African township most visited by foreign tourists,” says Khosa. “Our marketing plans will also be targeting domestic tourism growth in Soweto.” 

These plans, he says, include aggressively selling and raising the occupancy rate of Bed and Breakfasts and related tourist sectors in Soweto, Alexandra and other townships. In addition, the Park Station Tourism Information Centre is to be opened soon.

Central to the marketing strategy is the inner city, which has undergone dramatic rejuvenation in the past ten years in its cultural and night life and is attracting increasing numbers of business and leisure tourists, both foreign and local.

On a broader canvas, The Johannesburg Tourism Company is to strengthen its interaction with other stakeholders in the tourism industry.

Khosa himself has been appointed by the Minister of Tourism for a three year period to represent the Business Tourism industry on the Black Economic Empowerment Charter Council and also sits on the Boards of the bodies that act as the voice of the Meeting and Conference industries.

Similarly, regular contact is maintained with international conference and exhibition organs through attendance at their meetings or events by Khosa or members of his management team. 

“A major part of our responsibilities in terms of our mandate is to identify opportunities for bringing major international events to our city,” Khosa explains.  “We form partnerships with local organisations when they prepare Bid documents and, if a Bid is successful, we provide logistic support to conference organisers.”

Khosa firmly believes that this partnership between South African affiliates of international organisations, conference organisers and a designated company that continuously monitors the pulse of the international conference, exhibitions, meetings and events industries is paying dividends, with 61% of all conferences in South Africa, for example, being hosted in Gauteng and the Johannesburg metro area.

But he readily admits that there have been Bid failures as well. 

One big disappointment he mentions is the awarding of the 2010 Gay Games to Cologne at the expense of Johannesburg and Paris, the two other Bid cities, but he hastens to add that the impressive Bid document and professional presentation by the Johannesburg team enhanced the city’s image on the international stage.

As James Mathias, the Bid co-chair commented, “We did South Africa proud. We had an extremely sound bid – technically, financially and from an outreach perspective.” 

And, adds Christine Walters, a Councillor representing the Mayor and the City of Johannesburg at the presentation, “We did brilliantly. We will be back again to bid until we bring the Gay Games to Jozi.”

Khosa says The Johannesburg Tourism Company has an impressive list of major international and local conferences that have been booked for venues in Johannesburg into the next decade. He cites one of the more immediate exciting events coming Johannesburg’s way as the Junior Delphic Games, which are to take place next year.

The Delphic Games, an arts and cultural event, are held over a four year cycle, with the Delphics being held every four years and the Junior Delphics slotting in midway through the cycle. Khosa was part of a team that attended the last Games in Malaysia and brought back the Delphic Flag to South Africa.

“We’ll be having a ceremony in the near future at which the Flag will be presented to the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg for the 2007 event, the first to be held in Africa,” says Khosa.