Knysna: Sport destination of choice.
Knysna established as sport and events destination of choice…
Knysna attended the Sport and Events Tourism Exchange exhibition and conference held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 27 to 29 July. According to Knysna Tourism CEO Shaun van Eck, this is part of an initiative to establish Knysna as a premier event town on the Garden Route.
“Knysna, nestled in breathtaking natural beauty between the Knysna Lagoon and indigenous forests, has always been the destination of choice for those seeking spotless beaches, thrilling activities, world class shopping and taste sensations,” said van Eck.
“Realising that we need to offer more to stay ahead, we have been working hard to establish an all year event programme to compliment the area’s natural assets, and we now have an event or festival scheduled for nearly every month of the year.”
Knysna Tourism used this platform to market the annual events calendar to amongst others local and international agents. “It has been a very successful show. International buyers showed interest and we had good interest and feedback from local agents as well. Of specific interest was a local tour operator that specialises in organising trips for sport and school groups,” said van Eck.
Exhibiting at the stand were various event organisers from Knysna and Sedgefield. “These organisers have all made great contacts at the show,” said van Eck. “We also partnered with the team from 360Ball who erected a court next to our stand and played this award winning new sport throughout the show.”
Show organisers have also asked Knysna Tourism to do a presentation at the 2012 event to showcase how to create events that work for the town. “And events truly do work for our town,” van Eck concluded. “Having generated approximately R50 million worth of exposure for Knysna this year on top of valuable be-nights, events are an integral part of tourism in our beautiful town.”
Current events on Knysna’s annual calendar include:
- The Garden Route 300 presented by Rocky Mountain Bicycles (24 – 26 February)
- Knysna Literary Festival (April)
- Sedgefield Slow Festival (Easter)
- Pink Loerie Mardi Gras (end of April through beginning of May)
- Knysna Speed Festival and Renault Knysna Hillclimb (12 – 20 May)
- Garden Route 200 MTB race (June)
- Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival (6 – 15 July)
- Rastafarian Earth Festival (end of July)
- The Pennypinchers Die Burger Karoo to Coast 100km Mountain Bike Challenge (25 September)
- Naturally Knysna Festival (30 September – 2 October)
- Knysna Tourism Edge of Africa Beach Festival (December)
- Knysna Rocks Music Concert (23 December).
Media Release by Knysna PR.