New Tourism Manager Brings Fresh Energy and a Love of Small Towns to Darling

Darling, Western Cape — 27 July 2026 — Darling’s Tourism Office has a new face steering its growth: Vuyokazi Mseleni, who took up the post of Tourism Manager seven months ago, bringing with her a background in tourism education and a personal conviction that small towns hold outsized potential.

Speaking to Lorika Melck, Brand Manager for West Coast Way during a recent site visit, Vuyoi traced her path into the industry back to her hometown of Lady Grey in the Eastern Cape, where she watched annual visitor influxes for the town’s Passion Play transform the local economy long before she had a name for what she was witnessing. That early observation — that tourism could lift an entire community, not just individual businesses — has shaped her approach ever since.

Lorika Melck, Brand Manager of West Coast Way & Vuyokazi Mseleni, Darling Tourism Manager

Before returning to the operational side of the industry, Vuyo spent close to a decade lecturing tourism, including several years at West Coast College in Saldanha Bay, where she says watching students “flourish” from first year to graduation remains one of the most rewarding periods of her career.

Asked what excites her most about her new post, Vuyo points immediately to Darling’s food and hospitality scene — from artisanal garlic tastings to the town’s famed Darling Sweet toffees — describing local producers as people who “turn small things into big businesses” through passion and hands-on hospitality. She is equally emphatic about the interdependence of Darling’s offerings: eco-tourism, heritage food and wine, and community upliftment initiatives such as the Darling Trust are, in her view, inseparable strands of the same visitor experience.

Community itself features heavily in her outlook. Having relocated from city life, Vuyo describes being struck by Darling’s transparency and mutual support — from neighbourhood WhatsApp groups to a tourism desk culture where local businesses freely refer visitors to one another rather than competing for attention.

Looking ahead, Vuyokazi singles out the Darling Wildflower Show — run entirely by volunteers through the Darling Wildflower Society — as a highlight she hopes to see grow further. This year from 18–20 September 2026 the annual show takes place at the Darling Sports Club in Jacaranda street, continuing a tradition she calls central to Darling’s identity.  Experience first hand how a proud town come together to show off every nuance of Darling, it’s people and unique offerings.

On collaboration with regional partners, Vuyokazi was direct: “No man is an island.” She views West Coast Way and Swartland Tourism as key partners in positioning Darling as a genuine gateway to the broader West Coast region, particularly with the anticipated Cape Winelands Airport expected to draw increased visitor traffic to the area in coming years.

West Coast is excited to cultivate our continued partnership with the Darling Tourism Office in expanding the Food & Cultural Routes of the greater Swartland region.

Celebrate local Culture & Cuisine during this spectacular time of the year on the Cape West Coast.  Early Bird tickets for the Darling Wildflower Show.is available on Quicket from only R107.50 until 15 August 2026.
Adults:  R127.50  |  Pensioners:  R82.50  |  Kids under 12:  FREE

https://www.quicket.co.za/events/374338-darling-wildflower-show-2026/#/
www.darlingwildflowers.org.za    0681515692

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