Tasked with marketing SA abroad as an attractive tourist destination, SA Tourism is moving with the times and has contracted a joint venture between two local Web development firms, Cambrient and Digital Commerce, to create its new-look Web site, corporate intranet and Travel Trade Extranet using Macromedia ColdFusion technology.
According to Al Karaki, e-business manager at SA Tourism, the plan is to, over time, build the most current and complete database of all accommodation, activities, museums, events and places of interest for the whole country. "The intention is to provide a full inventory of tourist attractions in SA, including a rating system and pricing information," he says.
"To be successful, we need to involve all nine provinces in the process, giving them control over their own content; we must provide an information portal for our international agents operating call centres in Europe and the US; and we need a similar resource for the staff of SA Tourism worldwide."
Karaki says the new ColdFusion-powered tourism portal will be informational rather than transactional at this stage and believes that it will take South African tourism into the information age. "Over 140 companies responded to our request for proposals and the Cambrient/Digital Commerce presentation was the most impressive in terms of content, technology and the clear understanding they exhibited of our needs," he notes.
Jeremy Matthews, MD of local Macromedia distributor, Dax Data, says SA Tourism`s choice of Macromedia ColdFusion technology offers the flexibility to grow as demand for access to information contained on the site increases. "The application will also, inevitably, evolve as the needs and requirements of tourists interested in travelling to this part of the world change.
"The rapid speed of development enabled by the ColdFusion platform will help to ensure that the organisation doesn`t fall behind on delivery of new functionality and the local network of ColdFusion developers will guarantee continued support," he adds.
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