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The KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority - Strategic Activities

Section Home - Vision and Mission - Objectives - Strategic Activities - Structure -Tourism Act

The KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority - Key Strategic Activities

TKZN recognises an urgent need to put in place a strategic marketing framework within which provincial tourism marketing and development can be coordinated, funded and driven. The role of the framework is to provide coherence and certainty for provincial tourism marketing initiatives. The key elements comprising this framework are identified as follows:

The marketing campaigns and activities of TKZN will therefore be based upon regular analysis and interpretation of global and domestic trends through:

- monitoring of key macro, market and competitive trends and profiles in tourism;

- constantly assessing the current and potential market profile for the province;

- monitoring the current and potential tourism product portfolio for the province, and identify opportunities for packaging, themes and routes;

- establishing specific marketing goals and targets for the planning period, to include empirical data relating to tourism arrivals, tourism spend, duration of stay and responses to marketing media; and

- market segmentation analyses and proposed target market focus.

The second key element underpinning the strategic marketing framework pertains to the requirement for more effective institutional alignments in the province. A prerequisite for the success of any marketing strategy and framework is the support and alignment of other public sector and private sector marketing organisations.

Whilst proactively encouraging the development of a vibrant locally based tourism industry, TKZN will strive to ensure that an effective vertical alignment occurs with institutions at national, regional and local levels, as follows:

TKZN recognises the requirement for regional tourism organisations, particularly in the context of the four distinct tourism experiences on offer (beaches, mountains, battlefields and eco-tourism). Regional tourism organisations (RTOs) will take responsibility for the coordination of tourism marketing and product development of local authorities and community tourism organisations, and function as the interface between local authorities, community organisations and TKZN. For tourism marketing and development to be successful in the province, this realignment needs to occur as a priority.

TKZN proposes that the local publicity and tourism marketing associations should work through the seven regional council bodies (RTOs) in planning, funding and implementing their respective tourism marketing and promotional initiatives. The core roles and responsibilities of these local organisations should be to:

- Support and coordinate the branding/marketing of designated product regions

- Assist TKZN in national campaigns by providing marketable products, events and attractions for these campaigns

- Assist TKZN in international marketing by providing product information

- The promotion of tourism awareness in localised areas

- The provision of tourism infrastructure in localised areas

- Facilitate private sector involvement in the marketing and development effort

- Local product development

- Tourism information and publicity

It must be added that TKZN will also work towards a horizontal alignment with the many other provincial tourism and related institutions in both the public and private sectors. TKZN will seek to work with these bodies and to add value to each other’s core competencies by entering into formal cooperation agreements with these institutions.

TKZN intends as part of the establishment of a strategic marketing framework to focus on creating and providing marketing platforms for regional and local stakeholders and the private sector through:

-Promotional campaigns (theme- and event-driven campaigns)

-Promotional brochures

-Tourism industry media campaigns

-Trade shows and consumer exhibitions

-Internet marketing and Fax-on-demand

TKZN sees its role as creating cost-effective platforms from which local and regional stakeholders can promote product-specific attractions and tourism services to specific market sectors.

The brand of ‘The Kingdom of the Zulu’ does not yet exist in most people’s minds. Many local tourists still refer to the destination as ‘Natal’ or to specific locations such as the South Coast. Therefore, the marketing mission is to achieve recognition nationally and internationally that KwaZulu-Natal is Africa’s premier tourism destination.

The objective is to promote KwaZulu-Natal as a ‘magical kingdom full of rich and diverse tourism experiences’ and as a multi-cultural destination. The imagery that should be used to achieve this will include the Zulu monarchy and its cultural identity, which is perhaps the province’s strongest unique attribute. Zulu imagery already occupies a position in the global consumer’s mind and is potentially a globally competitive tourism brand.

The proposed central communication theme is ‘Wozani. Our Kingdom Calls’, which is able to carry any product from KwaZulu-Natal. The four key products on offer are the berg, beaches, battlefields and the bush. On their own these are not strong brands but as a campaign of messages they build up to provide the complete brand offering. The central brand is the Kingdom of the Zulu and its values include world-class status, richness of experience, diversity, stability, a welcoming and hospitable environment and a suggestion of excellent value.

The ‘Kingdom of the Zulu’, as an overall theme, can satisfy both domestic and international marketing requirements. Durban, as a core tourism node, also needs to position itself in synergy with and empathetically to the Kingdom of the Zulu. The timing for a campaign founded on this theme and these brands is obviously budget dependent but would ideally focus on:

It is imperative that, once established, the brand is protected and TKZN intends to encourage its use in a constructive manner whereby it appears as a signature on all tourism and provincial material. An attitude of respect for the logo must be encouraged and only original reproduction material will be permitted. Specifications of the brand’s application are to be rigidly controlled. If the brand is carefully protected, opportunities in both merchandising and franchising may be pursued.

TKZN is to continue to develop, manage and maintain a dynamic, relevant and accessible tourism information management system (database) and research programme for the province. The system will be linked to national and global systems, providing information on trends, developments, competitive information, tourism products and market intelligence. The system will also be linked regionally and locally and KwaZulu-Natal stakeholders will be able to use this data in their planning and decision-making.

In terms of international marketing, TKZN intends substantially to increase the number of foreign tourists entering South Africa that visit KwaZulu-Natal. To achieve this objective, TKZN is to initiate a programme of activities to include the following:

Any effective international marketing campaign requires significant funding, which is not available to TKZN. The authority intends to align itself and to support the marketing programmes being devised and implemented by SATOUR, due for launch in January 2000. This will initially focus on core traditional markets in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and sections of the United States.

TKZN aims to align its activities to this campaign in order to optimise exposure and maximise returns for the provincial tourism industry. TKZN will also collaborate with SATOUR in investigating intra-continental tourism from within Africa and in exploring the potential of new markets from this and other geographic regions.

The marketing strategy aims to take better advantage of the international infrastructure of the South African government and, in order to minimise costs, TKZN will endeavour to establish strong cooperative relations with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Systems are to be created to ensure that these national government offices are kept abreast of tourism developments in KwaZulu-Natal, and that they consistently receive updated promotional material and product information.

Trade marketing is to involve the hosting of familiarization trips and educational visits for international travel buyers, the effective distribution of literature and promotional material to industry decision-makers, and consistently updating information on prices, packages and special attractions. TKZN will also regularly seek to inform the trade regarding special events and theme marketing initiatives.

TKZN is to allocate a portion of its annual budget to enable participation at international trade and consumer shows. This participation will be undertaken in conjunction with SATOUR and will recognise the need to reduce costs and to ensure a measurable return on the expenditure. TKZN is to identify which specific international trade and consumer shows it will attend in the forthcoming year.

TKZN intends to collaborate with Durban Africa to ensure that Indaba remains Africa’s premier international tourism show and that it becomes a more significant event through the organisation of tourism related conferences and workshops. TKZN intends to improve the number and quality of Indaba delegates and to improve these delegates’ tourism experience in Durban, the province and South Africa.

TKZN regards Indaba as an opportunity to facilitate events that will enhance awareness of tourism in the province and that will reinforce the core brand and sub-brands. It is also intended that emergent tourism businesses be provided with an opportunity to participate more effectively in Indaba as both exhibitors and service providers.

In co-operation with other tourism stakeholders and with the private sector, TKZN is to communicate with delegates attending international conferences in Durban and elsewhere in the province. This programme is aimed at enhancing the delegates’ tourism experience, extending the duration of their stay in the province and at encouraging return visits and word-of-mouth recommendations for KwaZulu-Natal.

TKZN aims to try increasing the number of foreign tourists who arrive in South Africa through Durban International Airport. Plans include lobbying and promoting the arrival of direct charter and other international flights to Durban International Airport, and attracting greater numbers of foreign tourists to travel to KwaZulu-Natal through Durban International Airport, even if they arrived initially at Johannesburg or Cape Town International Airports.

TKZN recognises that KwaZulu-Natal enjoys a traditional dominant position as South Africa’s most popular tourist destination. TKZN aims to build on this profile by drawing market share from other provincial destinations and by positioning KwaZulu-Natal as a viable alternative to international vacation travel, thereby retaining domestic tourism spend in the country.

The strategy is to increase exposure for KwaZulu-Natal outside of the province and directly within the aforementioned tourism market locations. TKZN is also to encourage regional and local tourism bodies to focus their output on tourists markets resident in the province, thereby promoting increased intra-provincial tourism activity and spend and improving the retention of this expenditure within the province.

Over the past five years, great strides have been made in provincial government to reduce the incidence of political strife and to improve the province’s image as a peaceful, stable and attractive destination. However, and in spite of the realities of these efforts, the province still retains a negative image in key markets, particularly A-income domestic tourists and amongst international arrivals.

TKZN is to implement a major national image marketing campaign that will focus on dealing with the perceptions and realities of safety, security and grime, and profiling the importance of tourism. This campaign would constitute a ‘hearts and minds’ campaign aimed at local, national and international markets.

TKZN is to undertake campaigns to promote the province during key periods of the year. Depending on the availability of funds, these campaigns will aim to increase tourist flows in peak and traditionally low seasons. These campaigns will also aim to support the mobility of tourists around the province by highlighting events and attractions in different regions.

Advertising is to be placed in selected print and electronic media that communicate to and influence the identified domestic target markets. This advertising will aim to generate brand awareness and interest and to provide platforms for regional and local tourism organisations and the private sector.

TKZN is to continue developing an effective suite of marketing tools required to market the province domestically and internationally. In particular TKZN will facilitate the production and distribution of:

In addition, TKZN is to develop marketing infrastructure and tools required for display at trade shows, exhibitions, conferences and events.

TKZN is to focus its attention during the next three years on attending the major domestic trade and consumer shows in southern Africa. TKZN is to establish and publish a calendar of events and trade/consumer shows that it intends participating in during the forthcoming year. In particular, TKZN intends to work with Getaway and East Coast Radio to develop the Getaway Show in Durban as the province’s major tourism consumer show, and as South Africa’s premier domestic consumer show.

Although TKZN is not an investment organisation and does not view its role as investing in, owning or managing tourism products, it does consider the facilitation of new and appropriate tourism product as a crucial responsibility, and as being wholly inter-related to its marketing activities. Its objectives in this regard include:

1. Broadening ownership in the history, particularly amongst the previously disenfranchised sectors of the community;
2. Complementing and improving the existing tourism product mix;
3. Giving support to the strategic marketing framework and brands;
4. Facilitating new investment/funding in areas of low economic activity; and
5. The facilitation of new tourism infrastructure.

Product development is viewed as a means of stimulating new in-bound investment into the tourism economy. TKZN specifically intends to facilitate product that appeals to the ‘A’ income tourism markets and to unlock products that showcase Zulu culture. The organisation also intends to undertake initiatives aimed at making touring KwaZulu-Natal easier and more affordable, and at creating new tourist routes and packages.

In the process of developing new products TKZN will co-operate closely with other key institutions and will aim to ensure that such responsibilities are fulfilled through the most effective mechanisms (public or private sector). The authority will aim to provide an enabling environment in the following areas:

Section Home - Vision and Mission - Objectives - Strategic Activities - Structure -Tourism Act

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