Sponsored Listings:
The small town of Darling in the Western Cape is getting a brand-identity make-over, in an effort to boost tourism to the destination.
‘Hello Darling’ has been developed to give the town and its attractions a reinvigorated and refreshed marketing mission. This has been endorsed by James Vos, Shadow Minister of Tourism, who has commended Darling’s tourism committee for the initiative taken to develop a new re-invigorated brand identity. He adds that it is essential that tourism marketing organisations move with the times and follow global trends and innovations.
Some of the innovations currently in the pipeline are a new website; user-friendly mobile app that features up-to-date information about events, activities and attractions; a new map showing all the town’s tourism offerings; and an insightful online monthly newsletter.
Darling is situated on both the West Coast Way Culture Route, and the West Coast Way Tractor Route – both innovative self-drive circular sightseeing routes. Other routes offered by West Coast Way include the Foodie, Berg, Wild and Cape Way routes. Carmen Lerm, Founder of West Coast Way, says: “Locals and foreigners alike can plan a road trip along any one of the West Coast Way Routes – mixing and matching selected stops from the various routes to suit personal tastes, and spending as long, or as little, a time as desired exploring all that the Cape has to offer.”
Vos will be officially launching the new tourism brand identity on September 15 at the Darling Wildflower Show. “I am of the opinion that tourism promotion has the ability to reinvent our towns and cities while preserving the uniqueness and authenticity of the destination. These events really showcase the importance of tourism to bring visitors and economic opportunities, because product development and destination marketing are the essence of our objective,” he concludes.
Source: tourismupdate.co.za