Jazz festival provides platform for township tour operators

Sphenathi Dyasi, from Khayelitsha,blowing a trombone during the rehearsals at Artscape.

Sphenathi Dyasi, from Khayelitsha,blowing a trombone during the rehearsals at Artscape.

Published Mar 18, 2018

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Each year, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) attracts numerous visitors.

Over a weekend in March, they stream into the Mother City with eager anticipation of meeting up with old friends, making new ones and all the while enjoying the more than 40 first-rate music acts that make up one of the world’s most respected events.

The CTIJF is a big production. It employs several thousand personnel over the period of the festival, creating numerous opportunities for income for a wide variety of people.

In the process, it is developing and supporting some of the Western Cape’s most vulnerable. Skills and knowledge transfer has always been at the cornerstone of this event that is now in its 19th year.

It is, in fact, the very essence of what drives espAfrika, the organiser of the CTIJF, and probably what has contributed to the festival’s enduring success.

So, where to from here?

The answer lies in identifying that it can extend the reach of its impact and beneficiation beyond the confines of the festival and its programmes - to include surrounding communities.

With many of its visitors looking to lengthen their stay in Cape Town, supporting township tourism is the next evolution.

The concept aims to provide a platform for township tour operators, accommodation providers and event spaces to reach the CTIJF festival-goer - to all intents and purposes, a captive audience.

Those participating will be given a prominent space within the CTIJF Village to directly market their establishments, services and take bookings.

In this, its first year, the festival has identified service providers in Khayelitsha.

Exhibitors will include bed & breakfast establishments, township experiences and trendy places to party, where visitors can be truly immersed in the vibrancy of local life.

“It’s an exciting new development for us, and we look forward to encompassing other townships in the years to come.

“The CTIJF is a prime environment for our festival-goer to discover new sounds, but it is also the perfect place for them to be exposed to new places and experiences.

“For the communities, it’s an opportunity to connect with a market they would not otherwise benefit from, and an opportunity we are delighted to provide,” said Billy Domingo, the CTIJF festival director.

Among the exhibitors at the CTIJF this year are ABCD Concept Tours, Lungi’s Bed and Breakfast, Malebo’s Bed and Breakfast, and the ever-popular Rands. - Own Correspondent

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