A few weeks ago, I expressed my disappointment about the set of images that attempt to showcase Cape Town in the new arrivals hall passageway at the Cape Town Airport (But where are all the people?) Subsequently, Cape Town Tourism sent me images of their new display on the international arrivals side at the airport.
It’s a lot better than what’s on offer in the domestic arrivals side. It’s colourful and cheerful and very welcoming. It’s funky and vibey. It’s professionally designed. And there are a lot more people in the pictures. So, well done to Cape Town Tourism. But I still think we can do better…
For example, the images still mainly convey the impression (and first impressions count) of Cape Town as a natural location (mountains, beaches, penguins, floral kingdom, winelands, etc) and an outdoors leisure destination (mountain biking, walking, swimming, kite-surfing, hiking, etc). There is only one image of urban life, and yet we are a decent-sized city, not a resort. I would still like to see more images of us locals going about our daily business, at home and at work, in the inner city and the townships, on public transport and on foot.
I love our friends, the penguins (and the whales), but I get worried when they dominate the image of our city, reducing us to a flaura and fauna destination
Another good strong image, of mountain bikers enjoying the outdoors. Again, nothing wrong with it per se. It's more about what is not reflected in the display
The only image that attempts to portray a slice of urban culture
I would also like to see more of Cape Town as a place to do business – we are after all the second largest urban economic node in sub-Saharan Africa after Gauteng, with one of the most successful business events industries in Africa. One of our key marketing strengths must be that Cape Town is a city where one can easily combine business and leisure, given our relatively sophisticated economic infrastructure and an evolved built environment in close proximity to the natural environment.
In terms of culture, the display unfortunately still relies heavily on the traditional Cape Town stereotypes of flower sellers, minstrels and the Bo Kaap. Surely we can find more creative ways to show that we are a multi-cultural, cosmopolitan city with a unique and diverse history?
Nothing wrong with this image, except that our cultural heritage is far more diverse
Ditto
Which business sectors are the main contributors to the Cape’s economy? Couldn’t these be visually represented? IT, academia/training facilities, fashion, film-making, wine farming ……….
We are strong in financial and business services, which probably don’t always make for very exciting images. However, we are a city of many successful small and medium businesses, and we’re strong in the creative and IT sector, the knowledge economy, oil and gas, food processing, boat design, construction, social services, tourism and retail, all of which could make for good visual images
Finally someone that sees this too! If we’re going to attract the best skills, top international conferences and businesses we need to show that Cape Town is a green business hub with educated locals, that offers an excellent lifestyle to employees and serves as a firm base for regional (African that is, not just the broader Cape region or SA) operations. This is what will really bring investment and thus employment opportunities.