e-Marketing: CTRU partners its way to tourism’s notice board

In July 2008, Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU – the official marketing body for Cape Town and the Western Cape) began the monumental task of creating a new destination marketing website, a task made even more daunting because they aimed for a South African first – partnering with fellow DMOs Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng on board.

Now, not even a year since its inception, Cape Town and the Western Cape’s destination website – www.tourismcapetown.co.za – has already achieved three million page view mark and has measured 33% year-on-year growth in unique visitors.

Creating partnerships to further CTRU’s mandate of marketing all the regions of the Western Cape is a major focus area. A partnership with Team Storage Solutions (TSS) and Shout Media has brought touch screens to the Western Cape’s Gateway Information Offices in the V&A Waterfront, Beaufort West, Storms River and Vanrhynsdorp. These self service screens – with built-in booking facilities – allow visitors to source information and book their tours, accommodation and experiences straight away.

In addition, partnership with South African Tourism has resulted in a joint e-Marketing campaign to the Benelux countries and a joint clean-up of the national tourism database. The organisations have also aligned on a Google Adwords campaign, which speaks to the destination’s domestic market while simultaneously targeting the UK for the upcoming British and Irish Lions Tour in June 2009.

CTRU has also initiated a drive to get all SMMEs online. First to benefit from this initiative are the thirty Western Cape SMMEs attending Indaba this year, whose product details are being uploaded and captured onto the website.

The destination portal is making major strides as a means of marketing Cape Town and the Western Cape. It is constantly evolving and increasing its functionality, and will soon add Tripadvisor and You Tube to its many features.

CTRU, the Gauteng Tourism and Tourism KwaZulu Natal will host “Show & Tell” sessions at Indaba to demonstrate the website’s features and its benefits to tourism products. Join them at the Cape Town and Western Cape Pavilion – stand number WCD001 – from 10:00 – 11:00 on Monday 11 May and Tuesday 12 May.

For more information please visit our website at www.tourismcapetown.co.za

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