Specialist Destination Marketing Company

West Coast Way is a destination marketing company that has revolutionised the tourism industry in the Cape West Coast region of South Africa. Founded in 2014 by Carmen Lerm, the initiative offers visitors a unique and diverse experience, highlighting the region’s rich culture, heritage, and natural beauty.

Our dynamic team has over 75 years combined experience in Tourism and Marketing. We have facilitated the growth and increased awareness of tourism destinations and attractions by combining strategic insight with creative thinking. Our Integrated Marketing Strategies attract national and international audiences, thereby increasing visitor numbers and improving economic growth.

From a road trip to a company servicing the Southern African travel and tourism industry

Over the last decade, West Coast Way, an alliance of FusionDesign, has expanded its business footprint and established itself as a specialist destination company, building various brands in the travel and tourism industry throughout Southern Africa.

Road trips are all about early morning starts, breakfast at your favourite padstal just after 8am, copious amounts of coffee and tons of laughter. At West Coast Way this thinking runs in our very blood. We love sharing the many fascinating aspects of our beloved West Coast with you.

Vision

“Putting Tourism Within Your Reach”

How?

• activation of a variety of themed self-drive routes
• provision of credible, helpful and entertaining product information
• encouragement of responsible tourism and tourism development
• innovative approach to generating new business ideas, opportunities and partnerships
• building of broad and strong stakeholder relations within South Africa
• promotion of an inclusive and diverse community for a thriving tourism future

Why West Coast Way Was Founded

Our story starts with a vision by a group of West Coast business people who wanted economic growth for the Cape West Coast. Indego Consulting provides consulting services specialising in decentralisation, LED & rural development and human settlement. In 2013, Indego consulted for SANParks on a tourism development plan for the Cape West Coast and West Coast Biodiversity Corridor. Objectives in regards to tourism development and marketing of the region was set and a decision was made to call for interested parties to set up an independent, self-reliant and self-sustaining destination marketing company. As a result, in 2014, Carmen Lerm founded West Coast Way.

West Coast Way was established in October 2014 as a bespoke Cape West Coast Marketing business to attract tourists – locals & visitors – to the many attractions, activities and accommodation offerings throughout the year, hereby stimulating economic growth and conservation awareness via the effective development and marketing of the West Coast Way Culture Route, Foodie, Wild, Tractor and Berg Routes. West Coast Way is a unique and exciting collection of themed Routes that encourages economic growth and potential through Cape West Coast Marketing in the Cape West Coast, South Africa.

The Day We Launched

West Coast Way is a privately owned business founded by Carmen Lerm. At a formal event in November 2014 in the Cape West Coast at !Khwa ttu Culture & Education Center the Western Cape Economic Opportunities Minister Alan Winde, formally opened West Coast Way with the first route that was established within the Way, namely: Culture Route. During 2015 and 2016 more routes were launched and officiated by Shadow Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament, James Vos. West Coast Way has 4 Routes stimulating tourism activity and confidence in the Cape West Coast, with another one to be launched in 2016/17 making the route collection to 5: Culture Route, Foodie Route, Berg Route, Tractor Route and Wild Route. In 2018 we added the connection to the core of Cape Town, with the Cape Way.

West Coast Way PTY Ltd was established in 2014 as a privately owned and managed Destination Marketing Company. We are proudly an empowering supplier in terms of the DTI Codes of Good Practice.

We also offer training to develop the skills of tourism attractions, activities and accommodation places. Knowledge Is Power and leads to stronger sustainability opportunities. We partner with Trilennium CC. A specialist company for national training as well as business guidance.

West Coast Way is Your Route To Nature

West Coast Way is your ultimate gateway to experiencing the natural beauty and cultural richness of the Cape West Coast of South Africa. As a premium tourism brand, we offer six uniquely themed trip plans that promise an unforgettable journey: Cape, Culture, Foodie, Tractor, Berg, and Wild.

Discover over 101 incredible things to see and do with West Coast Way: Savour the delights of wine, craft beer, olives, and Rooibos tea tastings. Indulge in authentic Weskus cuisine and the traditional braaivleis (barbecue). Feel the thrill of swinging into Citrusdal on a zipline or challenge yourself with Cederberg bouldering. Rejuvenate in natural warm pools and embark on serene cruises across lagoons and rivers. Explore the diverse landscapes of nature reserves and a National Park, or embark on exciting game drives. Hone your skills in archery and angling, or amp up the excitement with sandboarding and quad-biking. Enjoy horse riding, immerse yourself in the unique San culture, and experience the vibrant Riel dancing. For water sports enthusiasts, kite- and windsurfing, surfing, and kayaking trips await. Go beach hopping, learn about bees and whales, and delight in birdwatching in a twitcher’s paradise – all within South Africa’s renowned wildflower reserve. For more information on the best places to visit on the West Coast, road tripping routes, hikes, tours, and trails, explore westcoastway.co.za or call West Coast Way on 0861 321 777.  Follow us on  on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn @WestCoastWaySA.

The 3 Top Reasons to invest in a West Coast Way package for the best Cape West Coast Marketing

1) Benefit from marketing exposure aimed at an international and local audience.
2) Attract new business through a dedicated experienced marketing team located in the hub of Cape Town tourism
3) Build your name through the power of association with other top attractions.

Package options to consider

Three package types are available to clients. Basic, Premium and Bespoke.

1. Be showcased on the West Coast Way routes graphic featuring the Culture, Tractor, Foodie, Berg and Wild Routes
2. Appear in the digital West Coast Way Guide
3. Appear on the West Coast Way social media on twitter, instagram and facebook
4. Get reviewed and receive exposure by experienced travel, tourism and hospitality writers
5. Become part of our 60 000 strong newsletter database to tour operators, international and national stakeholders and public
6. Network with like-minded top West Coast brands

Supervision Structure And Staff Management

West Coast Way has an experienced Production and Operations Manager that oversees workflow, task allocation and project timelines. The team has two content managers, two marketing strategists and designers.

Awards And Memberships

West Coast Way received a PERA award from the City of Cape Town as a sustainable tourism development company. We are members of Cape Town Tourism, Skal International and AAVEA:

Proof of positive results achieved through the West Coast Way initiative & developed routes by Wesgro in their 2014/15 tourism report:

The growing popularity in the heritage-inspired Culture Route (sic…along Groenekloof area) and the leisure inspired Foodie Route (sic…along Blue Benguela coast line) is underlined by the activities indicated by visitors during the 2014/15 summer season; with scenic drives (30.8%), gourmet restaurants (15.1%), outdoor activities (13.6%), culture/heritage (11.4%) and fishing (4.0%) ranking as the top five activities enjoyed in the Cape West Coast. The role played by West Coast Way, a private initiative procured by Sanparks to promote the West Coast Bio-diversity Corridor from Blaauwberg Nature Reserve to the West Coast National Park cannot be understated. With many attractions on the West Coast realising increased visitor numbers since their inception.

Client Testimonials

Michael Daiber CEO !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre says:
West Coast Way for the West Coast 
“In the course of a year West Coast way have increased the West Coast ‘s online presence significantly both in google and social networks. They have found innovative ways to provide value to consumers, and connected the West Coast trade partners to visitors. We’ve been impressed with the information published, to ensure that our region’s online presence is streamlined and engaging. It has been a wonderful value add for West Coast tourism.”

West Coast Way for !Khwa ttu
“West Coast Way has exceeded our expectations with innovative online marketing and social media campaigns. This has been a much needed and an exciting addition to the niche tourism product offerings. They filled a strategic gap for a truly professional marketing company dedicated to the West Coast. Their team includes devoted individuals with excellent experience, their positive attitude and extended network surpassed all our expectations. Their in-depth knowledge on tourism perspectives has transformed our ability to stay focused on the issues that matters most in our continued development.”

Thys and Amalia van Niekerk from Thali Thali Game Lodge says:
“The greatest advantage of West Coast Way is our increased exposure on social media platforms.  The routes are also a fantastic way of showing off the undiscovered gems we possess here on the West Coast.”

Dianne Le Roux of Darling Tourism says:

“At a time when many markets are seeing a loss of traffic through their offices Darling is seeing an increase in visitor numbers and enquiries. The West Coast Way route is clearly driving tourists to explore the West Coast a little further. I’ve seen a substantial increase in exposure on social media platforms for Darling over the time that we’ve been working with the West Coast Way team. Our twitter account has grown from next to nothing to 1800 followers within months and our face book page has seen a 25% increase in friends.

It’s been such a pleasure to work with someone who just ‘gets’ Darling; is enthusiastic about our tourism offering and understands our brand.

What appears to be working especially well for us is the multi-layered approach with generic marketing being done through Darling Tourism plus many of the individual local tourism products being on board. West Coast Way has also brought some exciting new projects to the table and we look forward to working together on these in the future.

Thank you Carmen and team for going above and beyond the terms of our contract to follow up on opportunities to ensure maximum exposure for Darling!”

For more information on West Coast Way

Contact Carmen Lerm on 0861 321 777 or email us by completing the form below.

Connect with West Coast Way on Facebook and Twitter at WestCoastWaySA.