Enthused by a 200 pc resurgence in number of Indian tourists visiting South Africa last year, South African Tourism has lined up a series of trade and consumer activities, starting with participation at SATTE 2023 and followed by multi-city roadshows in Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. The destination aims to build on leisure travel momentum and increase MICE footfalls by 35 pc in 2023.

Egged on by an extremely strong recovery in the Indian market, South African Tourism says it has set its ambitions higher for the current year and has lined up a series of travel trade and consumer activities to build on the momentum gained from last year. According to a press statement, South African Tourism concluded another highly successful association with South Asia’s leading travel show, SATTE 2023 for the third consecutive year. The tourism board showcased destination South Africa and addressed members of the press at the 30^th edition of the trade show, held at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida in Delhi NCR from February 9-11.

Owing to its robust recovery efforts and its aim to promote diverse, authentic destination offerings through the More&More campaign, South Africa emerged as one of the leading travel destinations for Indians in 2022. The Rainbow nation received nearly 50,000 Indian visitors last year till November, significantly exceeding its goal of bringing 33,900 plus visitors set at the beginning of the recovery year. This year, the tourism board aims to achieve a 72 pc increase over last year’s target.

The statement adds that South African Tourism, along with 35 prominent exhibitors, introduced innovative and one-of-a-kind destination offerings for Indian trade partners from across key regions such as Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo and Eastern Cape aspiring fruitful partnerships. Catering to Indian traveller preferences, the carefully curated offerings showcased exceptional yet affordable accommodations, luxury experiences, offbeat activities, advanced MICE infrastructure as well as adventure, wildlife, and culinary activities, it adds.

South African Tourism says that local SMMEs are the backbone of South African economy and the annual trade show is aimed at providing a platform to display their extensive product portfolio. The exhibition enriched existing business deals between key buyers from India and South Africa as well as paved the way for the formation of many more meaningful partnerships in the near future.

Against the backdrop of celebrating the completion of 30-years of bilateral ties with South Africa, India has moved up to become the 6^th largest international source market for South Africa. The relaxation in travel norms post the pandemic has been one of the biggest motivators for the recovery and is showing no signs of slowing down. In addition, for 2023, South African Tourism is also eyeing a 35 pc increase in MICE travellers. Keen to build on this momentum, the tourism board is further hosting a consumer event on February 11-12 at DLF Mall, Saket and Roadshows across key Indian cities – Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai between February 13-16 respectively.

“This is our third consecutive collaboration with SATTE and we are extremely delighted by the response destination South Africa is receiving here. I would like to express my gratitude to the trade fraternity for their support which pushed us to achieve a 200 pc increase in Indian arrivals to South Africa. With our evolved brand strategy and customized engagement models, we have managed to stay on top-of-mind of the consumers. We are already witnessing an uptick in forward bookings for the year, especially from groups of more than 6 pax and we intend to keep driving this momentum,” says Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – Middle East, India and South East Asia, South African Tourism.

“This association also comes in parallel with India and South Africa commemorating 30 years of bilateral relations and I am beyond grateful that I get to play a part in sustaining this much celebrated alliance between the two nations through travel,” Nkani adds.

With improved connectivity, attractive tourism packages and a plethora of experiences that South Africa has to offer, its tourism board remains optimistic that India will continue its recovery trajectory and remain one of the fastest growing source markets for driving tourism in South Africa. At present, several stop-over flights fly from India to South Africa, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Air Seychelles.