Newsletter | December 2023

SCTIE NEWSLETTER | December 2023

KEEPING YOU UP TO DATE ON THE SOUTH COAST

Phelisa Mangcu

CEO of South Coast
Tourism & Investment Enterprise (SCTIE)

We are entering the festive season in a state of euphoria after the Springboks, once again, showed the world what a united South Africa can achieve. It’s a time of deserved celebration, and a great way to set the tone for the holiday season ahead.

On that celebratory note, we extend our congratulations to Southern Explorer on its milestone 25th anniversary this year. Working with this esteemed KZN South Coast route guide, we can increase our collective effort of positioning the region as a top tourism destination.

This has been another busy quarter as we prepare for the festive season, undoubtedly our busiest time in tourism. We have welcomed new board members to the SCTIE team, and launched several new tourism projects to enhance our KZN South Coast offerings. We also welcomed the announcement that we have retained our title as the region with the highest number of Blue Flag Beaches in the province – an attribute which we are prioritising through our various marketing campaigns.

This and our many natural assets continue to be leveraged as we look to meet – and hopefully, surpass – last year’s tourism numbers. Ugu District celebrated an occupancy rate of 97% in the last week of 2022, which was top-of-the-list provincially, and we aim to continue this positive momentum.

As the economy opens up further, and tourism trends shift towards outdoor adventures, the KZN South Coast is well-positioned to enjoy another bumper festive season!


	New Board Members

	We would like to welcome our new SCTIE Board Members to the team! Mr Sandile Dlomo, Ms Nongcebo Mckenzie, Mr Lunga Yeni, Dr Khululiwe Godlwana, and Mr Thokozani Sabela are the newly appointed members who are already planning site and project visits, with a strategic planning session outlined. They will work to fulfil functions within the Ugu Economic Recovery Framework: Strategy and Plan (2022-2032) and its specific economic targets to be met over a five and 10-year period.

	Infrastructure Upgrade

	The much-anticipated rehabilitation of Marine Drive (the P395), connecting Port Shepstone with Southbroom is underway. The R580-million project was launched by the Department of Transport in June with construction starting in September, anticipated to take around 30 months to complete. While this may cause some inconvenience for holidaymakers flocking to the KZN South Coast this festive season, the long-term gain will be well worth it for the future of tourism and investment in the region.

MARKETING UPDATE

With the summer season approaching, our marketing drive has been focused on the KZN South Coasts outdoor options, highlighting our Blue Flag Beach status and numerous world-class beaches. Outdoor adventure, affordability, and unique experiences are all major drawcards.

Marketing Campaign Update

The messaging of our annual SCTIE campaign ‘Uncover Adventure’ has flowed through our hinterland, rural tourism, extreme adventure, and heritage tourism marketing. This works alongside this quarter’s theme ‘Destination…Summer!’ which uncovers adventures from the beaches to the hinterland.



Buy Local Campaign Update		Tourism Awareness Campaign Update

This integrated tourism/investment campaign continues to gain momentum, with more local businesses taking advantage of the free #buylocal membership and benefits.		We have continued our internal campaign which ties in with #buylocal, encouraging all residents and local businesses to be proud ambassadors of the KZN South Coast.


	Tourism Destination Video

	We have produced a new tourism destination video for promotional purposes. This 3-minute video captures our many tourism offerings, including accommodation, adventure, golf, beaches, agri tourism, culture, waterfalls, Dezzi Raceway, and more.



	Conservation Symposium		Blue Flag Beach Announcement

	In our commitment to sustainable tourism, we attended the annual Conservation Symposium which was, once again, hosted on the KZN South Coast. This year’s event, themed ‘Biodiversity Economy’, ran from 5 to 10 November at Wild Coast Sun in Port Edward.		On 20 October, Wessa (The Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa) announced the 2023/2024 Blue Flag Beaches. This is a voluntary programme which shows a strong commitment to environmental sustainability from municipalities that are awarded.


	New Tourism Packages Launched

	We continue to work with local stakeholders to uncover hidden gems and develop new routes that offer tourists unique KZN South Coast experiences. This quarter, we welcome three new additions to our already extensive tourism package offerings.

PUBLIC RELATIONS UPDATE


	Our ‘Uncover Adventure’ and ‘Destination…Summer!’ marketing campaigns gained maximum exposure through our dedicated press releases. We keep open channels of communication with our local and national media houses and provide KZN South Coast-focused responses to media queries for even further positive exposure.

ADVERTISING UPDATE


	We used this quarter to focus on a digital advertising strategy that amplified our ‘Uncover Adventure’ and ‘Destination Summer!’ messaging across various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn. With many visitors researching via online platforms, social media marketing is proving an effective way to reach a bigger national and global audience.

DIGITAL MEDIA UPDATE



	Social Media		Website

	Ahead of the summer and festive season, we have taken a more aggressive approach to marketing the KZN South Coast and creating more operator brand awareness campaigns.		We have placed a strong emphasis on enhancing our online content, resulting in 83 website updates, which is set to increase by 12 December 2023. These updates include improvements in website navigation, design, and functionality.



	Event Guide Update		Push Notifications

	In preparation for the busy festive season, we’ve curated 44 event updates and, through 9 press releases we have successfully communicated vital news to the public.		Establishments received helpful push notifications as marketing tools highlighting ‘Unlimited Opportunities for Investment’ as well as announcing the new Board Members.



	Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)		Explore the KZN South Coast app

	Our SEO services have proven highly effective in boosting website traffic and generating increased interest in our online platforms.		Our app undergoes daily updates through a single Content Management System (CMS) to ensure continuous growth, including the 88 changes from the website.

	Seasonal Campaign Research

	One of our quarterly tasks is collecting data which exposes current tourism trends. The quarterly Spring holiday research focuses on the occupancy rates and overall success of the holiday period in terms of visitor numbers. The seasonal summer holiday occupancy rates for the KZN South Coast will be sourced from the Tourism KZN (TKZN) research and stats report for the 2023 festive season.

DEVELOPMENT UPDATE



	SMME and Youth Development Support		Rural Tourism Development

	Hospitality Youth Training Programme – This is a programme by the National Department of Tourism (NDT) implemented in partnership with ourselves and the Tourism World Academy. For the programme, 23 youths spent 3 months attending theory training in Margate with a focus on skills for front-of-house departments.		Umuziwabantu tourist guides are starting to benefit from the Weza Hiking Trail which we launched. Monate Outdoor Activities, a local tour operator, organised its fourth annual spring hiking activity along the trail on 9 September 2023 which we supported.


	Stakeholder Relations

	We collaborated with the Department of Tourism, Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), KZN EDTEA, and the KZN Department of Education to organise the KZN Educators Development Programme on 19 and 20 October 2023 at San Lameer Resort Hotel & Spa.

Keep Updated

There is always so much happening on the KZN South Coast! Please feel free to share our newsletter with other interested parties and encourage them to sign up for updates. Please also submit any specials, events, images and blog content for digital marketing.

	If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free ‘Explore KZN South Coast’ app from Google Play and Apple app stores. We urge you to encourage visitors to also download the app for regular updates on our tourism offerings. Information can also be found by visiting South Coast Tourism on Facebook; South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise on YouTube; @infosouthcoast on Twitter or Instagram; sctiekznsouthcoast on TikTok; Info Ugu South Coast Tourism on LinkedIn; the SCTIE website to check out the Events Calendar, the KZN South Coast Meeting Planner Guide and more! And click here to check our previous SCTIE press releases. We’ve made it easy for people to sign up for our mailers via email communication and the website so everyone is updated with relevant information.

	To find out more about the KZN South Coast’s investment opportunities, contact 039 682 7944, email info@sctie.co.za or visit www.investkznsouthcoast.co.za.