The history or origin of the Community Tourism Association of South Africa.

In 1985, when the apartheid government was in power, seven of the major publicity associations decided that, as they were being ignored by the politicians, it was time to form an association that would look after the interests of disadvantaged publicity associations.

That was when the forerunner of the CTA was established. Its first name was the S.A. Association of Publicity and Tourism Marketing Organisations (SAPTO), which later changed its name to the Association of Community Tourism Marketing Organizations (ACTMO). In 1998, ACTMO and the former district councils amalgamated to form the present CTA. The district councils are now termed district municipalities.

The CTA is devoted to championing the rights of its members and transforming tourism to involve all members of the population. The CTA is dedicated to inspiring the empowerment of communities that are unable to be empowered on their own. All the bodies, which make up the CTA’s membership, are collectively referred to by the World Tourism Organization as Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs).

Community tourism organizations and tourism information offices are providers of tourism information to domestic and overseas tourists, and implementers of tourism strategies at local level. The CTA is the umbrella body for its growing membership and links these important grassroots components with the tourism development and marketing plans of regional and provincial authorities.

The CTA is a vital support organization, which offers advice to its members in exchange for membership subscriptions. Since the closure in 1997 of the former SATOUR offices within South Africa, the CTOs have become the main providers of information to overseas and domestic tourists. The CTA therefore has the responsibility of establishing a reliable tourist information service to all visitors.