Google to offer free online workshops
Google is set to run a series of workshops in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban with the aim of helping travel and tourism small businesses get connected and succeed online.
The mega internet search company notes that tourism in South Africa is expected to grow from 9% in 2011 to 12% in 2014. Small businesses are the driving forces of this growth, and businesses that have an online presence grow faster than those that don’t.
According to a recent survey by Google, more than a third of small businesses still do not have a website. As a result, the group says it will run a series of workshops to help companies get online.
Participants will get shown how to set up a free website using the Woza Online platform and will learn step-by-step how to promote their businesses via a Google AdWords campaign, as well as other key online tools.
Earlier this month, Google said its Woza Online initiative has seen in excess of 25,000 small- and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) set up websites since its inception in mid-January.
Luke Mckend, country manager for Google South Africa, said: “Tourism is an industry that really benefits from being online, with potential customers searching locally and from overseas to find better deals and services. Small businesses can really reap the benefits of the Internet by promoting their enterprises to attract customers, so we encourage businesses owners to sign up for our free workshops to learn more about how they can grow their customer base and revenues.”
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