The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, has signed an agreement with Gecko Digital Global, a local service provider, to develop a high-quality virtual tour of Cape Town.
The tour will feature attractions, products and experiences that speak to the City’s six-pillar Destination Marketing Strategy which highlights why Cape Town is the ideal place to visit, work, study, play, invest and, live.
‘To stay relevant to a global audience of travellers or investors, destinations need to stay ahead of trends and technology that will help them to highlight their assets. With this virtual tour, we will be using an innovative new tool to engage with people sitting in front of their computers or on their phones by showcasing our places and products to boost our visitor numbers,’ said Alderman Vos.
Gecko Digital Global says that millennials and Gen Z adults are 130% more likely to book a travel experience after a virtual tour (according to Google Analytics). The research further shows that virtual tours influence a 16% growth in Google searches and map appearances.
‘For this reason, I’m excited that the virtual tour of Cape Town will include links to product booking portals. Additionally, Gecko is currently in the process of creating the world’s first virtual tour booking engine which will be accessible to users of the City’s online tour once it goes live. With this agreement, I am fulfilling a commitment to work with private sector partners to deliver valuable goods and services at no cost to ratepayers,’ said Alderman Vos.
Gecko Digital Global’s partner at its South African division, Jacques Clarijs, said it is the world’s foremost 360° virtual tour company and looks forward to turning the spotlight on the Mother City.
‘We create unmatched content for the world’s top hotels, destinations and experiences, offering travellers’ unprecedented immersive experiences. In collaboration with our company, the City will be a first-to-market in leveraging this technology,’ said Clarijs.
Once ready, the tour can be accessed via the City’s online destination marketing portal at: www.thisis.capetown
‘This immersive new experience will further my mission to help create a tourism-related job in every household. This goal has five key categories: aviation, cruise travel, events, SMME product development, and place marketing. With our projects, partnerships and plans, I am committed to achieving this goal,’ said Alderman Vos.
