In collaboration with SA Tourism (South African Tourism) and GTA (Gauteng Tourism Authority), today Joburg Tourism welcomed Joy of Jazz artists and international media to the city at a press conference hosted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosebank.
“The city of Johannesburg is honored once again be hosting the Joy of Jazz, which brings together the world’s jazz greats in Joburg, testament to the city’s status as one of the world’s leading centers of musical talent, diversity, and dynamism,” said Phelisa Mangcu, Acting CEO of Johannesburg Tourism.
Produced and led by organizers, T-Musicman, the Joy of Jazz Festival is one of the key annual events sponsored by Standard Bank and 2012 marks the 13th anniversary of this premier event, which showcases the colorful Newtown precinct. In the past, the festival attracted 20,000 local, regional, national, and international jazz supporters.
With both a local and international line-up of artists, this event showcases emerging local and international talents alongside the world’s leading musicians and is comparable in stature to jazz festivals in Cape Town and New Orleans. The festival serves to attract local and international tourists to Johannesburg and contributes to boosting the local economy, with financial spend covering accommodation, restaurants, souvenirs, transportation, and job creation.
“From a tourism perspective, it’s significant for Joburg to host a festival the size, stature, and gravitas of the Joy of Jazz,” said Mangcu, “It serves to place us firmly on the international arts and music calendar and gives credence to Joburg’s positioning as a hub for music, the arts, fashion, and film – as well as a lifestyle and mega-events destination, capable of hosting complex events, which appeal to international audiences.”
The staging of the Joy of Jazz in the Newtown precinct has played an integral role in the regeneration of the inner city, with significant benefits related to shaping the future of Johannesburg and contributing to the city’s changing creative and cultural landscape.
In addition to the line-up of stellar performances from a host of local and international artists, there is a strong developmental angle associated with the program which includes:
• Training Sessions through Community Outreach Programs;
• Provision of bursaries to encourage students to study music and the arts at the tertiary level;
• Support of entrepreneurship development within the arts sector, as well as in under-resourced and less privileged communities (including senior citizens, women, and children), with a strong focus on youth development.
The objective of the city’s support for and collaboration with the festival include:
• Utilizing this event to position Johannesburg as a diverse and vibrant, international leisure and lifestyle center, as well as being the continent’s capital for the arts, culture, and music – jazz in particular;
• The expansion and future growth of the Joy of Jazz Festival;
• The creation of a Jazz Sound for Johannesburg;
• Tangible benefits by positioning Johannesburg as a vibrant lifestyle destination and the capital of South Africa’s music and jazz scene;
• To promote and create a platform for local jazz artists;
• To create local employment opportunities and to contribute to social cohesion;
• To promote cultural tourism for local, international, and transnational audiences;
• To develop local communities through music events; and
• The overall marketing of a world-class jazz festival.
Johannesburg, represented by the Johannesburg Tourism Company, is a founding member and academy member of the International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP), a grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth.
