The strangest tourism news report ever received is that Cape Town Routes Unlimited has accredited Cape Town Tourism as an official tourism association, in accordance with the accreditation powers that Cape Town Routes Unlimited holds through the Western Cape Tourism Act of 2004.
What is bizarre about the report is that the Act was promulgated five years ago, and Cape Town Routes Unlimited has been in existence for the same period of time. In this period very few tourism associations were accredited by Cape Town Routes Unlimited – Plettenberg Bay, Franschhoek, and Oudtshoorn come to mind as being the few tourism bureaux whose accreditation was publicised.
Cape Town Tourism is the largest and leading Tourism Bureau in the Western Cape, and one wonders what politics lie behind the accreditation. What makes the report in bizcommunity.com so odd is the following sentence:”Accreditation of these tourism organisations ensures that international operating standards are adhered to”. However, the industry believes Cape Town Tourism to be the more organised and state of the art than Cape Town Routes Unlimited! The report states that Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, handed over the accreditation certificate to Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, at a ceremony attended by the media.
Oddly, the event seems to be a non-event, as neither Cape Town Tourism nor Cape Town Routes Unlimited have issued a media release about it, nor has Cape Town Tourism informed its members of this event!
Anyone in tourism will wonder about this event, given that the two bodies are trying to work together in marketing Cape Town, a role that previously was the responsibility of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, but has been handled by Cape Town Tourism for the past year.
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I’m afraid it’s a nice example of how South African instances are organized. I had a similar experience myself. Incredible hey?
You are puzzled? They are different and yet the same, it seems. Quite honestly, I don’t know when I am dealing with CTRU and whenCTT
I never stop admiring the amazing Organization in S.A Tourism sector.We need to borrow a leaf up here!