OTTI 2007

In the lead up to 2010, technology and the online efficiency of the Travel and Tourism Industry in South Africa is in the spotlight and rightly so. While this sector has the potential to generate an even larger share of income, online inefficiencies are hindering the growth needed to elevate this industry to a similar status enjoyed by international counterparts. With the impending tourism surge, it is imperative that tourism businesses and tour operators start maximising the Internet as a marketing and information tool in order to stimulate tourism and growth locally.

TEP is a partner in the OTTI initiative to ensure SMME inclusion. The project will assist TEP to gauge the quality of SMME websites and their effectiveness in marketing their companies. Individual detailed company reports will be discussed in confidence with each SMME participant to identify areas for improvement. The results of the research will assist TEP to create quality standards and best practice for future websites that TEP facilitates. The information will also be used to inform website service providers of the expected product quality required in an effort to strengthen service providers to the tourism industry.

Technology has become an important success factor in an increasingly competitive tourism landscape.

The OTTI study will offer an important benchmark for the local tourism operators, as well as lessons for the industry.

As part of our commitment to the tourism industry, the success and the legacy of 2010, FNB is proud to be associated with the first study of this kind.

South African Tourism is committed to raising awareness of our country in the global online space and in order to be effective, we felt it was important to understand the current online landscape in the South African Travel (Tourism) industry. This, we felt, would allow us to identify areas of improvement and help us to re-focus our efforts in the right places. This will go a long way to improving our global competitiveness in the online space especially as we prepare for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.