NEWS RELEASE                                                                                                    3 April 2001

BIG TOURISM SPIN-OFF FROM NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL

Planeloads of tourists descended on Cape Town, and thousands of jazz lovers around the world tuned in to the “Cape of Great Events” for last weekend’s African Harvest North Sea Jazz Festival.

In only its second year, the Cape Town leg of the Festival has already established itself as an exciting international event that has catapulted the city onto the world stage as the jazz capital of Africa.

Thousands of fans and the international press and television networks were in the Mother City to watch top foreign and local artistes perform against the magical backdrop of Table Mountain.

But for the City of Cape Town Council, the North Sea Jazz Festival meant much more than a weekend of world-class jazz. It is an important building block in the city’s unfolding major events strategy to project Cape Town into the global arena as a top events destination with a special and unique vibe of its own.

This year the Festival attracted a sellout crowd - the large majority from outside the city. Apart from the hotel, catering and hospitality industries, sixteen micro traders were brought in to ensure that the full economic benefits were shared by all communities, and especially previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs).

“For the City of Cape Town Council, its all about increasing visitor numbers,” says Councillor Kent Morkel, the City of Cape Town Council’s Executive Committee member responsible for Economic Development, Tourism and Property. “We strongly support major events like the African Harvest North Sea Jazz Festival which give the city a high profile internationally because this generates an increase in tourism, job creation and investment. Tourism is a top priority for the Council because, for every eight tourists visiting the city, one job is created.”

He said Cape Town was ready to compete head-on with more established events destinations to get its share of the international tourism cake. “Only a few weeks ago we had thousands of visitors here for the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour. Now we hosted successfully another major international event, and there are many others scheduled throughout the year.”

The logic of hosting major events is simple - visitors equals spending which translates into jobs. Moreover the North Sea Jazz Festival, gave international media exposure to 32 top South African artistes, as well as talented local producers, stage managers, and sound and lighting technicians who had the opportunity to understudy or “shadow” the experts from abroad.

“We don’t want this wonderful city to be compared with any other events destination,” said Pat Lennox, Head of the Events Office at the Council.

”We want visitors to come here because we are different - a multi-cultured, cosmopolitan city with lots to do and see, where the festival atmosphere never ends. ”

He said the Council was delighted that a large contingent of international journalists was here to report on the Festival and spread the word about Cape Town’s new status as an exciting events destination to rival the best in the world.

There were some complaints from local residents that high ticket prices were excluding a large part of the community. Councillor Morkel responded by saying that in future more free concerts would be hosted around the festival to ensure that all Capetonians has an opportunity to enjoy the jazz. He added that with Cape Town’s own International Convention Centre coming online in 2003, the bigger venue would make more space available and this would help to reduce ticket prices.

Construction of the multimillion rand International Convention Centre is scheduled to start this month.

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