Sometimes the biggest test of an idea is whether you continue when the support you hoped for doesn’t come through.
Our journey towards the Khayelitsha Tourism Trade Immersion Programme, taking place from 14–19 September 2026, has reached an important moment.
This week, we received the outcome of our funding application to Wesgro, following our submission for support towards the programme. Unfortunately, our application was not successful.
We appreciate the opportunity given to us to submit our proposal and the time taken by the team to review our application. We respect the outcome of the process.
At the same time, we believe it is important to share what this means for us and, more importantly, what it means for the programme.
The timing could not have been more significant
The outcome came just 11 days before our 31 August 2026 registration deadline.
For some time, we had been waiting for the outcome while continuing to work behind the scenes to build the programme. Since July 2026, we have been receiving applications from tourism businesses, companies and industry stakeholders from across the Western Cape and other parts of South Africa who have expressed an interest in joining us.
The response has been encouraging.
We currently have programme dates that are fully booked, and overall we are approximately 75% booked, with only 25% of spaces remaining.
For a programme that started as an idea more than a year ago, this response means a great deal to us.
We are continuing
The funding from Wesgro would have helped us scale the Khayelitsha Tourism Trade Immersion Programme, strengthen the programme further and create even more opportunities for tourism businesses and stakeholders to experience Khayelitsha.
However, because we have already confirmed participants and businesses that have committed to joining us, we have made the decision to continue with the programme as planned.
The Khayelitsha Tourism Trade Immersion Programme will go ahead from 14–19 September 2026.
We made a commitment to the people who have registered, and we intend to honour that commitment.
Why this programme matters
This programme is about much more than bringing people into Khayelitsha for a few days.
It is about creating an opportunity for tourism businesses and industry stakeholders to experience Khayelitsha differently through its people, entrepreneurs, tourism businesses, culture, food, history and everyday life.
It is also about creating meaningful connections between the local tourism economy and the wider tourism trade.
For too long, communities such as Khayelitsha have often been spoken about from the outside. We want to create opportunities where people can come into the community, meet the people doing the work and experience the destination for themselves.
The interest we have received from outside Khayelitsha tells us that there is a real appetite for this type of engagement.
We would still welcome feedback
Although the funding application was unsuccessful, we are grateful that Wesgro considered our proposal.
What we would appreciate, however, is more detailed feedback on the application.
The outcome we received did not provide enough information for us to fully understand where the proposal fell short or what we could have done differently.
For us, feedback is not about challenging the decision. It is about learning.
As a small, community-based tourism organisation, opportunities such as these are important for our growth. If we are going to apply again in the future, we want to understand what was missing, what could have been strengthened and what is expected from a stronger application.
We believe constructive feedback can help organisations like ours become better at accessing opportunities and presenting the impact of the work we are doing.
The work continues
The funding decision is not the end of this story.
If anything, the response from the tourism industry has reminded us why we started this programme in the first place.
We are currently 75% booked, some dates are already full, and we are preparing to welcome participants from across the province and around the country.
We are excited about the conversations, connections, learning and opportunities that will come out of the programme.
Most importantly, we are looking forward to welcoming people to Khayelitsha.
This programme started more than a year ago with an idea and a belief that Khayelitsha deserves to be part of the broader tourism trade conversation.
Now, despite the funding setback, we are taking the next step.
We are moving forward.
From 14–19 September 2026, we will open our doors, welcome our guests and continue creating opportunities for people to experience Khayelitsha through the people who call it home.
Khayelitsha is ready. And so are we.