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24 OuTbOu Nd: sOu Th aF rICa South africa unveils promotional campaign; travel spend from india heads north south africa Tourism board has reasons to be aspirational about the Indian market. The figures from 2016 indicate that travel spend from India has increased many fold, crossing the coveted one billion Zar mark, making India one of the most important strategic market in its pursuit of international footfalls. We bring you a report of the recently held roadshow in the capital. By AnAgAt ChoudhAry The much-anticipated South Africa Tourism Road Show was held recently in the capital. The exercise was aimed at connecting the stakeholders of the South African tourism trade with their Indian counterparts. The roadshow – which was also conducted in Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai – offered Indian travel agents and tour operators a chance to interact with a 65 member suppliers’ delegation, comprising of local tourism offices, airlines, hotel-chains, products and attractions. 10% of the delegation were first timers and due to the positive response received in the prior editions, this was the 14th edition of the road show in India. Despite a gloomy travel outlook towards the end of last year, Indian tourists have shown healthy numbers for South Africa during 2016. Hanneli Slabber, country manager, South African Tourism commenced by congratulating the travel and tourism industry participants on the fact that for the first time ever, the overall spends from Indian tourists crossed the ZAR 1-Billion- mark last year with the avg. spending per tourist estimated to be around `590,000. 2016 closed with a 27% growth in tourist arrivals i.e. around 81,425 fresh footfalls by the end of the 3rd quarter. Several popular South African tourist agencies and tour operators such as Wegro, Durban Tourism and Joburg Tourism participated at the roadshow this year. Hanneli mentioned that India was one of the key markets of focus and there was an on-going aggressive campaign to draw tourists from India to South African shores. She also reiterated that India was one of the fastest emerging strategic growth market for outbound travel and the South African tourism industry had AAron WodIn-SChWArtz hAnnelI SlABBer CoUntry mAnAGer, soUth AfriCAn toUrism direCtor pUbLiC poLiCy, brAnd UsA Zar one billion mark India. We are hoping I want to thank all the stakeholders of the industry as, for the first time, we have crossed the in spending from to achieve a 10% increase over last year’s arrivals and to ensure that we continue to draw in over 100,000 Indians in the coming year. Our new campaign showcases our ability to go beyond the expectations of the travellers in every segment. ,, the wonder cave: South africa’s latest push in the indian market Considered one of the most beautifully decorated, The Wonder Cave is the 3rd largest cave of South Africa and is believed to be about 10 million years old. Just over an hour’s drive from Johannesburg the cave is situated in the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, Kromdraai. Around 90 steps lead you one step at a time to an elevator which leads down to the main chamber of the 60m deep cave. The cave was discovered by early miners while prospecting for gold and there is still visible evidence of their blasting and mining activities to be seen. Home to various fossils including beautiful rock formations, the cave has been open to the public since 1991. Despite facing a damage from lime mining, one of the remarkable features of the cave is its ancient dripstone formations which are largely intact and still growing. The 125m long, 154m wide natural wonder even boasts of its own colony of bats. The entrance to the cave is by guided tour only which take place in the day as well as at night but the night tour needs to be pre-arranged. The northern chamber of the cave, which is the first area visited during the tour, there is a natural pool. The cave also boasts of a large variety of stalactites with some structures resembling crystal chandeliers. Cave pearls also await discov- ery as hidden gems in this ancient natural marvel of South Africa. The subtle lightning in the cave reflects the naturally shaped lime- stone structures which lets the imagination swim around with shadows in rim stone pools. Facilities at the cave include a fully functional restaurant, limited braai (a form of barbeque) facilities and a curio shop selling arts and crafts. 2016 closed with a 27% growth in arrivals by the end of the 3rd quarter. This roadshow saw some new entrants – which indicates SA’s intent to further cement its position in the Indian market. committed a substantial budget to reach out to diverse consumer segments. This in turn had led to more awareness about the uniqueness of the South African experience. All these factors combined with the weakening of the Rand have also helped South Africa in moving away from the ‘elite’ and ‘expensive’ destination tag as well as allowed Indian tourists to visit and hence, in the process, to spend more. Talking about the road show, Hanneli said that the feedbacks that emerged in these sessions had helped in identifying trends as well as enhancing consumer experience. The participating tour operators and agencies briefly talked about the gamut of products and experiences that had been proffered for tourists and visitors alike. The South African tourism industry was committed to making 2017 an even bigger year, she said. “We are hoping to achieve a 10% increase over last year’s arrivals and to ensure that we continue to draw in over 100,000 Indians in the coming year,” said Hanneli in a similar road show held in December last year in Kolkata. The behavioural trends of the Indian outbound had also facilitated South Africa’s newly launched campaign, ‘wow in every moment’. “This campaign showcases our ability to go beyond the expectations of the travellers in every segment.” Hanneli added. The campaign had been launched through aggressive consumer and trade engagements across India. A new Facebook page, getting travel agents involved in joint marketing campaigns as well as television and outdoor marketing campaigns were the main components which had been used to launch this campaign. Also, there is a programme in the pipelines for travel agents to understand all the aspects that make South Africa a preferred travel destination as well as undergoing destination training. An announcement for an additional flight to Durban is shortly expected. Various consumer events and a planned campaign for awareness, demand and information in the consumer space is also anticipated to translate in to increased queries for South Africa. A few South African suppliers, citing the importance of the Indian market, have established permanent offices in the country to promote and grow their business through India. Hanneli had previously stated that the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment enjoyed a very good response from India and that it constituted nearly 50% of the countries tourism business. Talking about the South African experience, Hanneli also spoke about a marked shift in the mentality of the Indian consumer from wanting to see to wanting to experience, which has led to a boost in the famous wild-life experience industry of South Africa as well as the adventure sport industry. Indians tourists are now more interested in activities like shark-cage diving and hot air balloon rides. Some activities like bungee jumping off the Bloukran’s Bridge, the world’s highest commercial bungee, have become a must do in the checklists of Indian travellers. An understanding of the Indian culinary offerings has further reinforced South Africa as the preferred holiday destination for Indians.