Siviwe Tours, based in one of Cape Town’s oldest townships, Langa, has grown into one of the most referenced examples of township-driven festive tourism.
Founded and run by local guide Siviwe Mbinda, the business offers cultural walking tours that take visitors into local homes, food spaces and creative hubs.
Mbinda explained that township operators have historically struggled to compete because they lacked the funds to market through tourism authorities.
“We were basically left on our own to do the marketing. Many of us couldn’t afford the marketing and commission costs,” he said.
However, direct social media marketing changed that trajectory. During the December peak season, he said bookings for the season to January have been paid for, and they have been busy.
“I had to buy another vehicle to meet the demand,” he added.
Tour operators are now using avenues of social media and other low-cost digital means to attract tourists, as opposed to expensive advertising. To many, such strategies have become the most accessible way to secure bookings and support township economies.
The festive season is the strongest earning window for small tourism enterprises, mainly in informal or under-resourced areas where the tourism infrastructure is minimal.
Normally, bookings made during this period take them through the quieter months which follow the festive season.
Research also confirms that the rise of township tourism is primarily driven by low-cost marketing. A recent article published in the South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences found that most tourism SMEs utilise social media for developing brand visibility, customer retention, and gathering real-time feedback. All this with minimal advertising expenditure, which normally shuts small operators out of mainstream tourist circuits.
Sector analysts believe township tourism will continue to grow, as long as SMEs maintain online visibility and can create channels for direct booking. Free digital resources remain central to that process.
The industry guide “10 Free Marketing Tools for Tour Operators”, published by WeTravel Academy, lists platforms like Canva, Mailchimp and Buffer as affordable tools for tourism operators who need to market quickly, visually and at scale.
Below is a curated list of free tools to help township tourism operators build visibility, manage bookings, and boost festive-season revenue without heavy marketing spend.
https://vutivibusiness.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/how-township-based-tourism-operators-are-using-social-media-and-low-cost-m.docx
Emily@vutivibusiness.co.za
