Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga has big plans to market his city with a Rio-style carnival, music, and nature.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things we will drive very aggressively is the tourism business in our city. Our city is uniquely positioned and built; we can be a tourism destination of choice,\u201d he told News24 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously there is still work to be done in the city, ensuring it\u2019s safe for tourists to walk around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Msimanga said the city was being under-marketed. One example was the Dinokeng game reserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the only metro in the world that boasts the big five, but we are not really aggressively marketing that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The spin-offs would be more jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine a bed and breakfast in Hammanskraal for people going to visit Dinokeng,\u201d Msimanga said.<\/p>\n
The music industry was another untapped market. Tshwane had a distinct sound, whether it be house, hip-hop, or jazz. Annual events to attract tourists to the city and to pump money into the local economy needed to be re-established.<\/p>\n
The home of jazz<\/strong><\/p>\n He had spoken to musician Vusi Mahlasela about what to do with Tshwane’s unique music.<\/p>\n \u201cMamelodi is the home of jazz and we need to make sure we take care of that heritage. We want to ensure we tap into young talent and also promote our culture when it comes to music and dance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The city wanted to emulate the Rio de Janeiro carnival, but with a distinctively Tshwane flavour.<\/p>\n \u201cImagine someone wearing their Pedi, Zulu and Pantsula attire all in the same street, food being sold from different cultural groups. That is what we want to ensure happens and they become annual attractions to the city of Tshwane,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He wanted to ensure Tshwane attracted people from everywhere, to see how South Africa\u2019s capital city celebrated its own heritage and culture.<\/p>\n He intended to ensure the Tshwane Showgrounds theme park returned in 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are at an advanced stage with the co-ordinators of the Pretoria Showgrounds to ensure it is restored to its former glory. The organisers are very much excited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n News24<\/a><\/p>\n DA Tshwane mayor drops a bomb on former ANC regime<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Tshwane politicians to switch Mercs and BMWs for Hyundais and Toyotas<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nMore on Tshwane<\/h3>\n