Website and Digital Update
Social Media Our social media platforms are currently shared between tourism and investment. To drive investment engagement, we share continuous investment updates, specifically around the Buy Local digital presence. All updates on the tourism destination website consequently feed through to the investment website. The new update to the database also allowed us to increase our reach to relevant businesses that fuel the Buy Local campaign. This particular section also references members who have supported the Buy Local membership, to access the membership benefits. Information can also be found by visiting South Coast Tourism on Facebook; South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise on YouTube; @infosouthcoast on Twitter or @infosouthcoast on Instagram; South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise on LinkedIn. Website We have continued to maintain a 100% uptime across our websites with user-friendly access to information. We have updated relevant information such as the board members, investment opportunities, and other relevant content to increase potential investors and unearth investment opportunities. The backend of the www.investkznsouthcoast.co.za and www.sctie.co.za websites are continuously updated through software, plug-ins, and other technical features. New investment press releases were loaded onto the website for international access to local information. These links were further marketed through other digital platforms to increase the exposure of investment opportunities and to create awareness around our constantly updated archives. Explore the KZN South Coast app The destination website and app share one Content Management System (CMS), allowing us to cost-effectively update information across the app on a daily and weekly basis. In this quarter, we completed the long-term solutions for the app with changes to the map functionality in the navigation bar, improving the usability and responsiveness of the map functionality. The GPS pins which were static became interactive or clickable, while the ‘show info’ and image of location have enhanced the user experience. The updated version is now available on Google Play and Apple App Store. These changes are essential for marketing operator listings that appear on this easy-to-use platform, which has interactive contact details and other information relevant to travellers on the go. The aim was to improve user engagement for increased user retention, positive user feedback, higher conversion rates, and to create a competitive advantage for the KZN South Coast and its operators. Database We updated our internal, POPI Act-compliant database for tourism and investment, and have been growing it to include other sectors and community heads who will benefit. In this quarter, our communication focus has been digital links and resources to our Buy Local campaign and communication about digital assets, tourism and investment filming opportunities for members to participate in promotional videos, and requests for social media promotional material and blogs. We aim to provide information in real-time where possible, to promote tourism and investment, attract visitors and investors, support local businesses, and improve the overall economic and social well-being of the community.
Public Relations Update
Through our public relations campaign, we are proactively managing the image and reputation of the KZN South Coast by closely monitoring the media, issuing positive news to traditional media, and responding to crisis PR situations as soon as they arise. The investment awareness and #buylocal campaigns have allowed us to create a unified image that promotes investment and creates an environment for job creation. Our press releases and interviews have continued to highlight the region’s competitiveness and attractiveness to domestic and international audiences. Press releases issued 7 March to 12 May 2023 Massive potential for growth within the KZN South Coast’s agricultural sector (10 March 2023) KZN South Coast’s manufacturing sector holds unlimited opportunities for investment (13 March 2023) Buy Local membership is now open to KZN South Coast businesses (14 April 2023) President acknowledges Renishaw Hills and Serenity Hills for investment contribution to national economy (14 April 2023) There was a total of 93 coverage clippings with an advertising value equivalent (AVE) figure of R1 965 243 measured by media monitoring agency Newsclip. This includes: Print coverage valued at R653 088 Broadcast coverage valued at R4 224 Online media coverage valued at R1 307 931
Marketing Update
Unlimited Opportunities Campaign This quarter, we continued to uncover the #unlimitedopportunities for investment found in the KZN South Coast across our key growth sectors. The KZN South Coast’s natural resources, subtropical climate, and access to national hubs have positioned it as a key #investment destination. We promoted the region’s agribusiness potential, as well as the many manufacturing and trade opportunities, with our maritime sector poised for development. We have extended our online presence with the following hashtags. Please follow for more through #investment #unlimitedopportunities #investkznsouthcoast #investment #kznsouthcoast. Buy Local Campaign Since the launch of our #buylocal campaign last quarter, we have welcomed several new local businesses as members. The benefits for businesses include significant marketing exposure, business support, networking, and member credibility, but there are also far-reaching socio-economic benefits for those supporting local businesses. Buying directly from our local farmers, craftsman, and manufacturers have positive impacts on society, the environment, and even health, while ensuring our economy remains resilient and self-sufficient. We are encouraging our SCTIE members to sign up, free of charge until 30 June 2025, for the Buy Local membership. Criteria for membership include: At least 50% of the cost of production or services must be incurred with the KZN South Coast, The product or service must meet high-quality standards, The business must create or intend to create employment opportunities for people on the KZN South Coast. To find out more or sign up as a Buy Local member, simply click this link, use our online enquiry or contact Londiwe@sctie.co.za or 039 6827944. Trade Exhibitions and Engagements Our massive investment potential is often best marketed in person, which is why SCTIE is making the KZN South Coast known through key trade shows and exhibitions. Through these, we not only engage in vital networking, but can identify trends working in other potential investment areas. World Travel Market (WTM) Africa 2023 We enjoyed the opportunity to exhibit alongside the world’s best travel brands at the WTM Africa held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 3 to 5 April 2023. The event welcomed 5 000 registrations, and around 600 exhibitors from 49 countries, with 200 expert speakers and more than 80 hours of content sessions. This was the ideal platform to market the KZN South Coast as a destination with #unlimitedinvestment opportunities extending into real estate, the ocean economy, agribusiness, logistics, manufacturing, and mining sectors. It was interesting to note that real estate emerged as our most notable investment opportunity. We were pleased to achieve our goals of participating in the event, which included: Meeting with local and international investors in search of investment opportunities, Exploring potential new business partnerships, Building relationships with local and international markets, and Increasing our brand awareness. Renishaw Coastal Precinct To get a better understanding of the large-scale Renishaw Coastal Precinct (RCP) development and the investment opportunities on offer, a meeting was arranged between SCTIE and developers on 18 April. In addition to getting a better understanding of the development, SCTIE extended assistance to some challenges that were outlined, including red-tape barriers to certain development processes, as well as the inclusion into the Eastern Seaboard Development. We were grateful for the RCP developers’ willingness of Renishaw to work with SCTIE in sharing nodes that could be considered for packaging to attract investment. Investment Activation Our upcoming investment activation will be held at Shelly Beach Centre during the June/July school holidays. This will target potential investors holidaying on the KZN South Coast. These include domestic or international visitors. Business Seminar We were able to build relationships with investors, international operators, and stakeholders when we attended the ‘Doing business between KwaZulu-Natal and Switzerland’ seminar at the Onomo Hotel in Durban this May. The seminar, hosted by Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) in partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland aimed to explore trade and investment opportunities between South Africa and Inkunzi yaChocolate – the local name for the Swiss delegation. Switzerland has an existing footprint in the province, supporting the Vuthela Support Programme. This initiative addresses unemployment, poverty, and inequality by accelerating inclusive local economic development and growth in line with the National Development Plan. Sectors of focus included infrastructure, manufacturing, and services, with discussions around an exchange on investment strategies, attracting investment, best practices, and promoting trade and investment opportunities between KZN and Switzerland. This was a great opportunity to strengthen trade relations, and share valuable information on our growth sectors and market opportunities for exporters and internationally-focused businesses.
Buy Local Campaign Launch
We were excited to launch our #buylocal campaign, which celebrates and supports the entrepreneurial spirit of the KZN South Coast. While we are known for our Blue Flag Beaches, dive sites, nature reserves, and great outdoor offerings, the KZN South Coast has so much more to offer! Our fertile land means farm-to-fork organic food supplies, from fruits and vegetables to coffee beans, while our local craftsmen and manufacturers are producing world-class goods right on our doorstep. The benefits of buying local include social, environmental, and health factors, while ensuring our economy remains resilient and self-sustaining. We are encouraging our SCTIE members to sign up, free of charge until 2025, for Buy Local membership. Criteria for membership include: At least 50% of the cost of production or services must be incurred with the KZN South Coast, The product or service must meet high-quality standards, The business must create or intend to create employment opportunities for people on the KZN South Coast. To find out more or sign up as a Buy Local member, simply click this link, use our online enquiry – or contact Londiwe@sctie.co.za or 039 6827944. If you know of potential investment opportunities along the KZN South Coast that would benefit from SCTIE support, please contact SCTIE on 039 682 7944 or email info@sctie.co.za. A new tab has been added to www.investkznsouthcoast.co.za if you want SCTIE to contact you for consideration. You can visit the site to find out more about our investment opportunities or visit the KZN South Coast’s One-Stop Shop.
Growth Sectors
Property As a prime coastal destination and considering the massive demand for coastal properties in the domestic and international markets, property is a significant growth sector on the KZN South Coast. We are working with local estate agencies and developers to highlight the real estate investment opportunities for this region. Find out more about our property developments here. Available Land for Investment On 6 February, the team visited 12.4 hectares of prime land in Shelly Beach, ideally suited to developing an upmarket, lifestyle village which is so in demand along the KZN coastline. The site is zoned special residential 3, permitting 21 to 40 dwellings per hectare – 330 units in total. The site has 42 existing units generating income through sales and rental. We have engaged with a KZN South Coast agent to discuss packaging available property development projects. Manufacturing The well-established agricultural sector and logistical advantages on the KZN South Coast are beneficial for our manufacturing sector. We have identified two areas that pose significant investment potential and will continue to develop these and more. We welcome any further input, leads, and information sharing with a view to partnering with businesses across a variety of sectors, so please do contact us. Below are some examples of recent site visits: Textiles In an effort to package our textile sector, we visited an emerging textile manufacturer, Cengamajita Fashion & Entertainment (CMT) on 2 February 2023 . This informative tour not only gave us a chance to accurately profile the sector, while presenting possible avenues of support, it was a chance to present our #buylocal campaign and the many benefits to the sector. Furnishers We identified a local furnisher, Out of Wood, as a targeted project for the launch of our #buylocal campaign. We visited the site to profile and better understand the entire value chain of the furniture sector to identify growth opportunities. Considering the scale of this sector, we have arranged a follow-up meeting with the raw material suppliers for further insight.
Investment Facilitation
One Stop Shop Our partnership with Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) saw the establishment of a One Stop Shop (OSS) in the KZN South Coast last quarter, and favourable feedback has been received from the demand assessment performed. To refine our services further, the SCTIE investment team visited the TIKZN OSS and Special Economic Zone at Dube Trade Port OSS on 10 February 2023. Through this visit, we have been able to benchmark the services recommended by the assessment demand report alongside these existing operations. The TIKZN OSS presented both digital services and physical consultation services that the offices offer for businesses, which will be considered for the Ugu District One Stop Shop. Umzumbe River Trail Our successful launch of the Umzumbe River Trail rural tourism project has provided significant investor opportunities. This quarter, we focused on identifying a site for the establishment of a lodge along the trail. Umzumbe Local Municipality’s Town Planning Unit was engaged for their expertise on this project, with three potential sites identified. Following the screening process, two sites were confirmed as potential tourism development zones. Further to this, the planning team expressed interest in joining SCTIE on a benchmarking exercise in the Eastern Cape from 6 to 9 March 2023, organised by the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA).
Research and Development
We recently started Investment Prospectus research, a project that will span three months, collecting data from various strategic economic drivers within the KZN South Coast. The main objectives of this sub-district level investment research will focus on ‘Investment Promotion’, ‘Business Retention/ Expansion’ and ‘Export opportunities’. A full copy of the research findings will be available on our website, once completed.
Website and Digital Update
Social Media Our social media platforms are currently shared between tourism and investment with a current focus on driving investment engagement content. We are achieving this through continuous updates on investment, specifically around ‘Buy-Local’, ‘Port Shepstone Techno Hub’, ‘Unlimited Opportunities to Invest’ and ‘Play here, Stay here’ coverage. In the last year, we have noted exponential growth across all our social media sites with the data and analytics showing a 136% spike, and almost 1 million ‘impressions’ online. Audiences are responding positively to the content being shared as the engagements, too, have seen an astounding 859% increase at 45 997 engagements and 3 587 Post Link Clicks. On Facebook (Meta), our ‘Page Likes’ have escalated organically from around 4 000 to close to 10 000, with the number of ‘Followers’ almost matching this number. We aim to sustainably grow this audience engagement by ‘boosting’ posts and using paid campaigns going forward. We are also considering a presence on the social media platform Tik Tok in the coming months to promote tourism through short-form videos. Information can also be found by visiting South Coast Tourism on Facebook; South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise on YouTube; @infosouthcoast on Twitter or Instagram; South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise on LinkedIn. Website The signing of our MOU with MasterCard has allowed us to explore e-commerce and other digital opportunities for the SCTIE websites, encouraging further investment opportunities with our digital resources. Our local businesses will enjoy digitisation that keeps operating costs down while attracting new investment. One example is the Tap on Phone app, which turns a smart phone into a mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) device, allowing for cashless transactions for all traders and potential future business investments into the KZN South Coast. This cost-effective digital solution allows for cardless transactions of all currencies, ensuring ease of business operations from business-to-customer and business-to-business offerings. You can find out more about the MasterCard MOU benefits in our dedicated press release. Keeping website content fresh and relevant is vital, which is why we update the site weekly. We have also restructured the destination website landing page, to include our Buy Local Campaign and Buy Local Membership, all of which are backlinked to our Invest KZN South Coast website. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) We continue to prioritise SEO on our website to drive audiences to our online offerings. This strategy is showing results, as both the investment and SCTIE website’s engagement have more than doubled since its inception from September 2022 to February 2023. The keyword ‘KZN South Coast’ has organically reached Page One Ranking. We believe the introduction of additional SEO articles through analytical recommendations, considering competitor ranking and keywords has contributed to this upward trend. Explore the KZN South Coast app We have connected the app with the destination website, so that it functions using one Content Management System (CMS), which allows us to cost-effectively update information across the app, as it is done on the website, daily. Elements from the Buy Local campaign are linked to the investment website and made available through this platform. Database We have restructured and updated our internal, POPI Act-compliant database, adding new categories, to diversify our communication efforts through SMS, newsletters, and other push notifications. In doing this, we are reaching KZN South Coast organisations, municipal representatives, and strategic partners, helping to grow tourism and investment opportunities, where possible. We have been consistently updating the investment communication contacts from various sectors so that the newsletter and other communications are reaching the right audiences. We are also growing our #buylocal database and will continue to include member details going forward.
Advertising Update
We are taking the time to build up our investment-focused content and marketing collateral while focusing on advertising in niche markets. This quarter, the advertising material included: Buy Local A5 Flyer South Coast Herald Buy Local Advert and Editorial Investment Adverts in South Coast Herald and Kokstad Advertiser Property Developments showcased in the Inflight and Premier magazines About Us Brochure #UnlimitedOpportunities Advertising InFlight and Premier magazines
Public Relations Update
We have shared these #unlimitedopportunities, as well as the #buylocal campaign, with the public through dedicated media releases. With the investment portfolio still being developed, we are focusing on specific growth sectors for each quarter while targeting specialised media outlets. Through our efforts, we received free exposure in several publications, including South Africa Today, My Durban, Marketing Spread, Rising Sun (Chatsworth), My Pressportal, the South Coast Weekly Gazette, and South Coast Herald, among others. We also shared the #buylocal messaging with an interview on Radio Sunny South. Press releases issued 13 December 2022 to 6 March 2023 Unlimited Opportunities to Invest in Tourism on KZN South Coast (1 February 2023) Play Here, Stay Here – why the KZN South Coast property market is on the up (16 February 2023) Port Shepstone Techno Hub brings significant investment potential to the KZN South Coast (22 February 2023) Launch of the #buylocal campaign to support local businesses on the KZN South Coast (1 March 2023) There was a total of 90 coverage clippings with an advertising value equivalent (AVE) figure of R2 488 436 measured by media monitoring agency Newsclip. This includes: Print coverage valued at R899 450 Online media coverage valued at R1 588 986