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Andrew Layman, CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
When first announced, the city’s investment in the Top Gear Festival was roundly criticised. Later, as excitement grew and the sheer size of the event became more apparent, the criticism abated, at least to a significant extent.
It returned immediately before the festival in June, but then in frustration at the traffic congestion as a result of road closures. Was it all worth it?
Well, the festival drew more than 67 000 fans, a third of them from outside the city. Many of them stayed |in hotels and made a weekend of it. The estimated cash injection into the local economy was 30 percent light; what did flow in was more than R90 million.
Such was the enjoyment of all who attended the festival that the next two, which will take place in Durban, are being eagerly anticipated and will surely outstrip this year’s version in attendance.
These benefits don’t take into account the television coverage that will give the Moses Mabhida Stadium, and Durban, exposure to about 350 million viewers who are the international devotees of Top Gear.
The popular presenters were effusive in their praise of Moses Mabhida Stadium and of our city – and we know that they have offended some other places by their less-than-complimentary comments.
It is impossible to put a price on this kind of international marketing. Who knows how many people will learn something about a part of the world that they didn’t know about before? Who knows how many will decide that this is a city they would like to see?
For Durban to be an international destination of choice, people have to know about the city, and be attracted to what they see. We have had the soccer World Cup, the UN COP17 climate change meeting and the Top Gear Festival, which have propelled our city into the international limelight – and this will be followed soon by the campaign to be mounted on the National Geographic television channel.
It is not sufficient for Durban to be the leading destination for domestic tourism. This is far too seasonal and limited. Also, it does not encourage us to be aspirational and innovative. For years, inlanders have come to the coast for their holidays. For the most part, we have not had to find new attractions for them to enjoy. But if we want to host an influx of international visitors, we have to become much smarter and compete with many cities all over the world.
Some of the attractions are quite mundane but important to travellers – including value for money, safety, convenience, top-class service and friendly hospitality. A shower that doesn’t work properly in a hotel, a grumpy taxi driver, a slow waiter, an indifferent cashier, a long queue at passport control and a feeling of being ripped off all compromise the city’s reputation.
Above all, it seems, we have to recognise the regular traveller’s preference for packages. A suite of experiences packaged together at what appears to be a “bargain” price is a draw card. Yet we have few to offer, and it remains a huge challenge for the local industry. The inhibiting factor is the absence of a recognisable co-ordinator. Someone has to put such packages together and see to their exposure.
We have another challenge, too. While international events like Top Gear should always be welcomed, we need to build local events that can captivate the world and attract people here in large numbers.
Recently, a group of tourism people brainstormed this idea. The suggestions almost all centred on an annual beach carnival on Durban’s beachfront, with a multitude of events to draw people for a week or more. What these events will be, will determine whether the carnival is captivating.
* Andrew Layman is the CEO of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
