TKZN launches tourism site

Tourism KwaZulu Natal's New Website,
http://www.tourism-kzn.org is part of a joint partnership between various tourism authorities in South Africa, including Cape Town Routes Unlimited, Gauteng Tourism and Mpumalanga Tourism.
"The core reasons for the partnerships are economies of scale and broader reach. We have been able to share much of the costs of the technology behind the site and realise that it will be mutually beneficial to promote the partners through each of our sites" says General Manager of Tourism Information Services at TKZN, James Seymour.
The new site is based on an international system with the intention to make a destination management system that is more visually appealing and user-friendly.
The site features real-time booking systems, Web 2.0 technology such as satellite and electronic maps, preference centre forms to capture contact details and needs of users into a customer relationship marketing database, and interactive media such as web cams and online videos.
"The site has been a long time in development. The intention was to build a system that ensures tourism authorities in South Africa are aligned and operating on a higher level," says Seymour.
Furture plans for the site include more Web 2.0 features such as blogs, more advanced real-time booking systems for all tourism services, shopping carts designed to tailor make packages, and an extensive network of touch screens to access portals.

Credit: Tourism Update Mag May 2009