The late Dr Anton Rupert used to say, "nothing is impossible, but miracles take a little longer."

Sheryl Ozinsky’s arrival as CEO of CTRU won’t be accompanied by the waving of a magic wand to right three years of mistakes at CTRU – many of which stem from local government decisions in establishing CTRU and board decisions since.  This is what needs to be changed:

• How can you have an efficient and responsive organisation when it’s hamstrung by statutory controls – make CTRU a Section 21 company like Cape Town Tourism and Wesgro.  Good corporate governance stems from its culture, not a ball and chain.
  
• The only way CTRU can be successful is if it works very closely with the private sector.  "Government wants to run tourism, so let them run it," is what one hears in corporate boardrooms over and over again.  Change that… stop the politically-appointed boards and give the private sector ownership and accountability.
• Merge CTRU and CTT (as was the original intention) or at least make their operations almost indivisible.
• Drop the ludicrous visual identity that has been ridiculed from day one and failed to win any brand loyalty.  The visual identity only comprises 10% of what a brand is all about – get it all right (the rest is missing now) and the region will start marketing itself.
• Devote 60–70% of the budget to marketing the Cape Town brand.  That is more representative of the Province’s demographics and strikes the right chord internationally.

We posed these challenges to Lynne Brown (Provincial minister of economic development & tourism), Simon Grindrod (Cape Town's mayco member responsible for the same) and Joe Mwase (chairperson of the CTRU board) a week ago.  Only Grindrod responded and his comments follow.  Does one ascribe Brown and Mwase's lack of response to a lack of conviction in their achievements, or the hope that if you ignore it, the problem goes away?  Or just too busy to deal with real issues?

It's not business as usual Simon Grindrod is leader of the Independent Democrats in the City Council. Although still getting to grips with his new portfolio in the multi-party government (with its staff of 700), he found time to reply: I am pleased to have been afforded the opportunity to lead the Economic Development and Tourism Portfolio at a time when all roleplayers need to give ourselves a collective kick in the pants.  I certainly sense that the tourism and hospitality sector in our City has been drifting over the last year.     It will by no means be business as usual as far as City involvement in the tourism sector is concerned.  We must all recommit to a close, realistic and practical relationship and immediately stop the malaise that has crept into many areas of this critical function.     Our partnership with CTRU has been sorely neglected.  I am absolutely convinced that Sheryl Ozinsky and I can inspire and push each other to create greater synergy between our respective entities.  I am here for her and have obviously long admired her passion.  We are lucky to have her in Cape Town and my wish is that I can create a climate in which she and her team function at their dynamite best.     I am concerned that, as 2010 approaches, many key tourism role-players in our City and Province seem to be paralyised like rabbits caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.  My primary function is to create the environment where City staff and Management are actively encouraged to come forward and take ownership of the exciting opportunities that we will create together.     Attitude adjustment must take place.  I hope to announce proposals to lift morale and focus our Staff in a positive way.  I want you to hear this change in the voices of our team when you phone these offices over the next few weeks.     My message today is clear.  Let us all work to recapture the spirit of adventure and achievement we had in the days when our City had half the number of tourists but twice the fire in our bellies. (Grindrod will present his full vision and objectives next Thursday.)

Is there a round of applause for Grindrod?  He does have a tough job ahead of him but he is no stranger to tourism.  His appointment does seem to be genuinely welcomed by his new Mayco colleagues who, in conversation with CapeInfo, committed themselves to supporting his endeavours in every way possible.  Cape Town's democratic multi-party government is not only flourishing, but has been strengthened.

Cape Town's Mayco member responsible for finance, Ian Neilson, told us that they had been questioning the City's R30 million grant to tourism marketing, until Sheryl Ozinsky's appointment was made.  So the pressure on her is immense and sometimes unrealistic.

CTRU is a very, very sick organisation and the energy-sapping malaise is tangible.  It is going to need very strong medicine.  One prominent Capetonian, highly respected at Province and the City, said it would be easier to close CTRU and start again, but in the same breath said that isn't a practical solution.

From all over, one hears reports of how statutory organisations are so debilitated by red tape that they just can't deliver the goods.  Now, for a marketing organisation that needs to respond swiftly to opportunities, that's the kiss of death.

We don't want to knock CTRU staff, who have been dealt a poisoned chalice, and we do want to appeal to politicians and the CTRU board to wake up to the reality.  You've created a mess that you have to fix.  Next year will be year four of the new structures which reach the quarter of a BILLION rand mark in total budget allocations.

The Western Cape is not alone in having unhappy provincial tourism structures ‐ almost every province in South Africa is held back by misguided tourism legislation.  Get it right here, and you'll be the shining light for the rest of SA... as it should be in the nation's premier tourism province!

Ozinsky is going to need time, support and an unparalleled level of political acceptance that dramatic changes are needed.  Anybody who says "just get on with the marketing" shows their naivety.


Visit http://wiki.capeinfo.com and help build a collective tourism Vision for Cape Town and the Province.  We can only be successful if we are all informed, understand the issues and grab every opportunity to position the region as a world-beating destination.  There can be no sacred cows!

You can contribute your comments online very easily on the discussion pages or you can email them to us.


Orchids
City Improvement Districts (CID) – both Cape Town and Green Point's – have demonstrated the efficiency of their security presence.  And that is the level of comfort that locals and visitors need in the city.
    One recent Saturday morning, Akela the wolf opened the car window while left alone for 10 minutes and went run-about in the city centre.
    It was easy to spot a CID security officer and he was asked him to inform his control centre.
    They called within minutes and relayed the wolf's progress, from officers on the ground, block by block across the city.  When she set off for Signal Hill, a Green Point CID van took over and followed her past children playing and dogs as she headed for the Noon Gun.  They waited where she slipped through a hole in the fence into the bushes until the owner arrived.  She appeared (rather sheepishly – if that's the right word) when her name was called, happy to accept her leash – not even overly spooked by the whole adventure.
    This does demonstrate the efficiency of the CIDs' security presence and the responsiveness of the control centre.  The cherry on top was the call the next day from the Green Point security officer asking how the wolf was.  Now that's 10/10 for going beyond just doing a job.  That shows caring and great initiative.  Isn't that the kind of city we all want?

Vodacom's corporate customer care – they provide phenomenal service.  They call back to check if everything is okay.  And Vodacom's call centre is based in Cape Town!  (Now wouldn't it be great if Telkom's entire management was replaced by Vodacom's?)

An Onion
Communications departments (and some PR companies) – we were going to award an onion to one of Cape Town's top destinations (or its CEO and PR consultant, who acts as the temporary communications manager) but Sheryl Ozinsky urged us not to, saying "give them another chance, they're nice guys".  Now really... "nice" does not bring in the bacon (with apologies to vegetarians).
    (It is relevant that this particular destination is a statutory organisation and the delay in appointing a communications manager is attributed to "red tape.")
    So we will give them yet another chance, but we will award an onion to communications departments in general.  Most – not all – are a misnomer.  So many are not responsive, rarely in touch with their publics, and get bogged down because they lack real ability.  CEO's seriously need a rethink about they actual damage they do – to their own companies as well as the region as a whole.
    Some PR agencies are as bad.  Our current gripe is with one which, following an undertaking given, fails to respond to email after email.  Is that professional?
    And press/media releases have become one of the most abused media ever, badly focused, badly distributed and claims that make the writer laughable.  But yes, some are good and really useful.
    Remember though, that architects, designers, PR companies and the like are only as bad as the clients allow them to be.  So before one says "bad PR company", maybe one should be saying "bad client".

A Tip for Guest houses, B&B's, etc CapeInfo frequently receives photographs and copy that just raises a big sigh.  If you're serious about your business and take pride in it and how it portrays you, make a real effort when it comes to the content that you use in directory listings and everywhere else.  You're not preparing it for yourself, who knows the product, you're presenting it to a stranger who views many competitive offers.  Be competitive!     If you don't have creative skills, a good camera or the ability to write, get help!  This doesn't have to cost you much, if anything.  Invite talented friends to stay for a weekend in exchange for a great selection of pics or some great copy.  And if you have friends who are good at thinking out of the box, invite them for an "ideas weekend", to come with ideas on how to position your product differently and gain that competitive advantage.

  Our usual CapeInfo housekeeping reminder...

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