Page 62 - TKZN Annual Report 2023/2024

Through these partnerships the province’s tourism attractions and products, along with its major events, were showcased to millions of readers, listeners and viewers across South Africa. These media engagements positioned KZN as a globally recognized and a must-visit destination in South Africa.
Among some of the strategic milestones to note during this period was the public relations and communications support given in TKZN’s participation at local, national, regional and international marketing platforms. The PR and Communications Department implemented a robust communications plan in a number of these platforms including World Travel Market Africa in April 2023, Africa’s Travel Indaba in May 2023, the Bushfire Music Festival in May and June 2023, World Travel Market in November 2023 as well as in other marketing and business tourism international and regional programmes that took place during the 2023/24 financial year. During this time, media statements covering events, destination brand stories, news about the entity were released to media across the country and generated ample media coverage for the destination.
Media releases, radio, TV and podcast interviews and social media mentions received by the destination amounted to an Advertising Value Equivalent of R248 million. The PR value of this coverage was significantly noted at R846 072 235 and this sentiment was overwhelmingly positive particularly during the fourth quarter of the 2023/24 financial year.
Public Relations and Stakeholder Management
Tourism KZN continued to identify leveraging opportunities in events hosted in KZN, participated in the coordination of supported provincial events and promoted the culture of travel during these events. The partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s Legacy Ride4Hope cycle tour with the tourism trade and Umgeni Water to showcase the destination brand during the three-day cycle for charity tour in September 2023 from Soweto, to KZN’s Amajuba District (Newcastle) and ended at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site in Howick, provided an opportunity to position KZN as a sports destination. The event was also aired on DSTV’s SuperSport to encourage sports enthusiasts and potential tourists to travel to KZN during the festive season. TKZN gained enormous brand exposure on TV as the cyclists’ shirts had the TKZN brand at the back and interviews conducted mentioned the partnership with TKZN. From a stakeholder management perspective, the event had strategic corporate sponsors from South Africa’s mining and banking sectors such as ABSA Bank. Day three of the event ended at the Nelson Mandela Capture Site and cyclists proceeded to Mpophomeni where Umgeni Water handed over newly built classrooms as part of the legacy/charity school project for the Mpophomeni Community.
Another flagship premier social and sporting event on the national calendar that was coordinated in KZN is the 2023 Hollywood Durban July. TKZN collaborated with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and its entities to leverage this platform as a networking opportunity to engage strategic stakeholders who play a role in helping the entity achieve the vision of being a premier sports tourism destination. The performance of the Durban July 2023 was a resounding success with the race day attendees sitting at 40,000, a total of R9.34 million stakes, the national tote turnover was R100.5 million and the media/editorial coverage was R90.1 million.
Other major PR events that were coordinated included the Durban-KZN Business Breakfast at Africa’s Travel Indaba, winter and festive season tourism activations in partnership with other provincial entities, seminars for youth tourism entrepreneurs, uMthayi Marula Festival in February 2024 and Jazz in the Berg in March 2023.
Hosting/Guest Relations
The hosting of social media personalities, international and domestic media drives greater conversations about the various tourism offerings available in KZN, thereby promoting the destination to potential tourists as well as repeat visitors. Through the participation of personalities, destination KZN gained third party endorsements to drive consumer confidence and awareness throughout the year. To this end, TKZN in partnership with the KZN Film Commission, district municipalities and tourism trade partners hosted the ever popular multi-choice TV series Shaka iLembe cast and crew, several media and influencers, a TV crew from Italy, food and travel bloggers during promotional tours, and winter and festive season activations to showcase the tourism offerings of KZN.
Destination promotion through social media
The KZN brand continued to gain exponential growth and recognition on social media platforms. During the period under review, TKZN shared daily content across all the TKZN social media platforms, showcasing the province’s tourism offerings. Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn Tourism KZN accounts featuring events, tourism products and leveraging user-
60 TOURISM KWAZULU-NATAL ANNUAL REPORT 2023/2024