The inaugural Hout Bay Tourism Indaba gave local business people a chance to do some serious networking while guests explored the attractions that put the town on the map.
Hout Bay Partnership and Hout Bay Tourism Connect co-hosted the event, held at Riverside Boutique Hotel on Saturday.
From horse-riding adventures and hiking tours to locally-produced beauty products and designer footwear, the indaba showed the best of what Hout Bay has to offer.
Performances by traditional dancers and the Hout Bay Ingoma Choir kept things festive.
Guest of honour, Suzette Little, the City’s mayoral committee member for area north, praised the organisers.
“Everyone in Hout Bay is starting to understand that the focus on where people will find employment has shifted to tourism,” she said.
“There is great hope for Hout Bay. If we come together and put on paper what we each have, we can make a difference. We don’t want the tour buses coming through Hout Bay and leaving. We want visitors to stay for three days or more.”
Talented business people in Hout Bay tourism could no longer afford to huddle in a “cocoon”, with no one knowing what services and products they offered. “We must show the world what quality goods and experiences we have. We want to see the development of the harbour, we want to see Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu looking like Bo-Kaap (in terms of tourism potential). I hope you go from strength to strength.”
Portia Msamo, of the Hout Bay Partnership, thanked the exhibitors for “coming to the party”, and said it would ultimately benefit their businesses.
