The tourism industry grapples with economic and political fluctuations and evolving traveller preferences, impacting DMOs' promotional endeavours.
The tourism industry is not without its challenges. Economic fluctuations, international geopolitics, pandemics and evolving traveller preferences can pose significant obstacles to DMOs. In this dynamic environment, Cape Town Tourism recognised the need for a strategic and adaptable approach to content creation and dissemination.
The tourism industry is not without its challenges. Economic fluctuations, international geopolitics, pandemics and evolving traveller preferences can pose significant obstacles to DMOs. In this dynamic environment, Cape Town Tourism recognised the need for a strategic and adaptable approach to content creation and dissemination.
The tourism industry is not without its challenges. Economic fluctuations, international geopolitics, pandemics and evolving traveller preferences can pose significant obstacles to DMOs. In this dynamic environment, Cape Town Tourism recognised the need for a strategic and adaptable approach to content creation and dissemination. Rhoda Davids shared insights on how Cape Town Tourism crafts interactive and engaging social media content, achieving remarkable results on a limited budget.
Cape Town Tourism has established itself as a leader in digital marketing, effectively leveraging a strategic content approach to drive tourism to the city. The DMO has demonstrated remarkable creativity and adaptability, utilising a range of content formats and platforms to engage diverse audiences and achieve impressive organic growth. The DMO produces content on five topics:
Cape Town Tourism's digital content strategy stands as a testament to the organisation's unwavering commitment to effective storytelling and audience engagement. At the heart of this strategy lies a deep understanding of the interests of their target audiences. Cape Town Tourism recognised that successful content must be:
This strategic approach to content creation has enabled Cape Town Tourism to effectively connect with diverse audiences, fostering a sense of connection and inspiring wanderlust among potential visitors. This has been supported by encouraging cross-collaboration between departments, involving the entire team in marketing the destination.
Capitalising on the success of their content creation, Cape Town Tourism responded swiftly to emerging trends, such as the burgeoning popularity of TikTok. To understand the Gen Z demographic and create engaging content, they collaborated with Gen Z students studying digital marketing and filmmaking at local business schools, leveraging their creativity. This strategy proved fruitful, as Cape Town Tourism's TikTok channel amassed almost 82,000 followers in under two years.
Showing the authentic side of the destination alongside humorous messaging is central to the DMO's success on the platform, with TikTok being all about fun content that can go viral. Such a process requires being persistent and posting regularly as the content that gains traction can sometimes be surprising. This is complemented by using data to plan digital content and keeping informed of trending sounds so that these can be added as overlays to maximise the reach of the content produced.
Demonstrating their commitment to being adaptable and responding quickly to events, they captured the live reaction of the Rugby World Cup-winning South African team's arrival back to Cape Town, posting the raw footage onto social channels immediately. This video became their most viewed on TikTok, garnering tens of thousands of organic views overnight and showcasing their ability to capitalise on trending moments.
Recognising the importance of a user-centric approach, Cape Town Tourism embarked on a comprehensive redesign of its website, ensuring the provision of additional functionalities that make the website accessible to all. The new website transitioned from an editorial-focused structure to a more user-friendly and intuitive design. The new, sleek interface is visually appealing and instantly engages users with an interactive 360-degree panorama feature showcasing five areas of the destination, fostering excitement about the destination.
This redesign also prioritised member integration, providing seamless access to information and services for Cape Town Tourism's 1,200+ members through a portal where members can:
Cape Town Tourism has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. During this unprecedented period, the organisation maintained an active presence on digital channels, keeping Cape Town top-of-mind for potential visitors and ensuring that the city remained a beacon of hope and inspiration for future travel plans.
As the industry recovers and travel patterns evolve, Cape Town Tourism is poised to embrace new opportunities and expand its reach through several strategic initiatives:
Created for destinations around the world, this programme will provide the insight to help you become a sustainability leader within your organisation.
Designed to teach you how to master must-have tools and acquire essential skills to succeed in managing your destination or organisation, be ready to challenge all of your assumptions.
Designed to teach you how to master must-have tools and acquire essential skills to succeed in managing your destination or organisation, be ready to challenge all of your assumptions.
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