The Johannesburg Tourism Company has recently launched their own website as well as a streaming video, which has put them in touch with the latest form of internet broadband technology.

The Johannesburg Tourism Company website, www.joburgtourism.com, is a comprehensive source of information about the Johannesburg Tourism Company and its initiatives as well as Johannesburg itself.

Visitors to the website can expect to find information on tourist facilities around the city, upcoming events and exhibitions, tours and attractions, accommodation, transport, a virtual orientation centre, Live data feeds – weather and foreign exchange rates, quick facts and polls.

“Another special feature on the site is our online help desk. Whenever a Johannesburg Tourism Company staff member is online, visitors to the site will be able to ask them questions in a chat room.  This enables us to address questions without delay,” says Eddy Khosa, Deputy CEO of the Johannesburg Tourism Company.

The other exciting marketing tool which the Johannesburg Tourism Company has adopted is streaming media - technology that has enabled the Company to include audio, video and other multimedia elements into their website in a much more seamless and efficient way than was possible in the past. Visitors to the Johannesburg Tourism Company website are able to listen to and view media files on Johannesburg as they are streamed in real time.

“Adding video on demand to our new website through Internet streaming allows us to provide advanced and exciting content for visitors. We are pleased that the Johannesburg Tourism Company is an organisation able to deliver excellent service through advanced IT technology," comments Khosa.

E-mails sent out by Johannesburg Tourism Company staff members also include the streaming video link and recipients of the mail can instantly click on an icon to view it. This enables the Johannesburg Tourism Company to actively present Johannesburg online to potential tourists and clients interested in booking conferences and events.

“Our vision is for these new marketing tools to encourage tourists to extend the length of their stay in Johannesburg. We also hope to increase the number of tourists visiting the city, to extend the geographical spread of tourism and to level out the seasonal spread of the tourism economy in Johannesburg. These services compliment our existing range of marketing tools to attract major events to Johannesburg and surrounds,” concludes Khosa.