Pietermaritzburg the City of Choice

1. Problem Statement

1.1 Introduction

According to Govender the “Municipality plays an integral role in developing, maintaining and implementing the marketing and branding of the city in order to attract consumers,” (Govender, 2006). Haider (1993) in Govender categories the consumers:

• Visitors (business and pleasure)

• Residents and workers

• Business and industry and

• Export markets.

1.2 Background on Pietermaritzburg as the City of Choice

Veness the tourism director says “Pietermaritzburg is a vibrant African city set in the breathtakingly beautiful KwaZulu-Natal Midlands that caters for your every holiday whim and desire. With so much to offer, Pietermaritzburg is definitely the City of Choice,” (Pietermaritzburg, 2007/2008).

The Pietermaritzburg tourism booklet highlights the follwing factors that makes Pietermaritzburg the City of Choice:

• Pietermaritzburg (PMB) is the capital of KwaZulu Natal

• The City Hall is the largest all red-brick structure in the southern hemisphere

• The University of KwaZulu Natal, of which the Pietermaritzburg campus is an integral part, is the largest residential university in South Africa

• The city is home to the Botanical Gardens, one of eight entities under the National Botanical Institute and the only one in KwaZulu Natal

• The collection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture has elevated PMB as a “high character” city in Africa

• The Oval Craft Market won PMB a top ten destination accolade by Reader’s Digest.

• The Italians Garrison Church near Epworth School was built by prisoners of war who were captured during the World War II.

• PMB is the birthplace of Mohandas Gandhi’s passive resistance campaign

• Known as the city of flowers, the city boasts its very own rose. Visit the rose garden and

• The magnificent cathedral organ in the City Hall is over 100 years old and is still in regular use, just to name a few places (Pietermaritzburg, 2007/8).

1.3 Problem Statement

Marketing Pietermaritzburg...