The Chamber of Small and Medium Business (CSMB) and Gauteng-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are joining forces to market tourism in the province online, in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The CSMB launched in 2004 to help local SMEs, which employ about 65% SA`s workforce, says John-Ernest Fogwell, CSMB chairman. "The SME sector has no united voice and very little group representation.
"We aim to assist them by offering legal advice, tax advice, weekly newsletters, mentorship programmes and training courses. We also aim to assist them to grow their businesses via networking meetings and articles that can be posted on our newsletters," says Fogwell.
The CSMB will spend the next few months visiting local tourism businesses, including bed and breakfast facilities, tour guide transport operators, camping sites and lodges, he says.
"The aim is to attract a higher international tourism income to Gauteng and to establish the smaller entrepreneur as the preferred service provider in this industry," says Fogwell.
The medium
Electronic media features strongly in the team`s plans, he says. "The electronic media is one of the most cost-effective and measurable mediums of communication. We will depend heavily on electronic media, not only to market our chambers but also to communicate constantly with our members," he says.
The CSMB communicates with its members via e-mail and a bulk SMS system for payment and function reminders, says Fogwell.
The chamber`s Web site is being re-launched, and Fogwell believes it will "be the fundamental tool in the project success. The vision I have regarding the Web site is it must allow not only for online bookings but also allow the user to customise his activities within Gauteng."
The specific developers and hosting companies will be appointed towards the end of the project, with SMEs being preferred suppliers. The Web site will be launched in the next few weeks, he says.
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