INTERVIEW SOUTH AFRICA
LUNGI MORRISON In Person With...
Lungi Morrison, UK County Manager for South African Tourism, tells Steve Hartridge how engaging with the trade will help change traveller perceptions of the country
LUNGI MORRISON UK Country Manager South African Tourism
Describe your main job responsibilities? Firstly, it’s a real honour and privilege to serve my country and people in such an incredible market like the UK. My job involves plenty of 'juggling’ of internal processes and outputs, management dynamics, and providing strategic direction for the set targets and budgets we expect managers to implement. We are fundamentally a government-led organisation, so governance and accountability are our top priorities. I ensure my team follow policy and
remain compliant whilst also inspiring and infusing passion and creativity. We must integrate brand strategy, digital and PR activity, if we are to be successful in achieving our desired conversion ratios via the trade.
What other career experiences have you had in tourism? Apart from being a global nomad, having being raised in very different corners of the globe – Nigeria, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Brazil and the US – travel and tourism have been a part of my career since I headed up the public relations and communications division for Gauteng Tourism in Johannesburg.
You have talked about a ‘South Africa Brand’. What do you mean by this? When I refer to the 'South African Brand' I mean the single-minded proposition that may or may not occupy a potential visitor’s mind when they see,
think or are presented with something about South Africa. It is about ensuring that we stand for something compelling for every potential UK traveller, and about making the path to purchase that experience easier. Marc Methieu of Unilever, said "Now people want brands to stand for more than just a product, they want a human idea that they can believe in". To me this sums up my country and its unique selling points. South Africa is that brand! It is a destination with tourist products and experiences but more than this it is filled with simple human connections and ideas that visitors constantly encounter.
Have you set yourself any specific goals? Absolutely! If I hadn’t it would be like getting into a car or boarding a plane without knowing where I was going! My short-term goal is simply to complete the process of appointing my ‘A team’ to take our brand forward. This will put us on the road to realising
our main goal of repositioning South Africa in the UK market. We must be top of mind, accessible and re-educate people in terms of what South Africa in the 21st century is about. Perceptions have to shift! In order to realise our ultimate goal of
(welcoming) between 600,000 to one million UK visitors a year (currently it is 450,000 ) over the next couple of years, we must give people a realistic view and experience of our incredible offering. We must also provide tour operators with more nuanced information and training to drive positive destination promotion.
What are the main challenges to increasing UK numbers? The main obstacle is the cost of the air ticket and the Air Passenger Duty (APD), which has now increased from £55 to £85. This will not be reduced any time soon so all of us in the sector have to look for opportunities and new partners. We must find ways to highlight indirect flights, or create packages relative to seasonality that highlights the value for money visitors receive once in South Africa.
"We will run an integrated trade campaign and in parallel launch an online sales tool kit for agents"
Is the trade critical to you success? The trade is absolutely critical and our forthcoming trade campaign will highlight this. For the first time in many years SAT UK will run an integrated trade campaign and in parallel launch an online sales tool kit which will support travel agents by boosting their knowledge about South Africa – it'll be all about providing information that is only a fingertip away! We need to create imaginative packages that respond to consumer needs (based on our insights) but at price points and with deal-driven messaging and calls to action to keep agents’ phones ringing.
Is it important that tourism, and the experiences of tourists, embrace South Africa’s unique recent history and the people who shaped that history? Absolutely! We are a totally unique destination that, in many respects, has been put on the tourism map as a result
of our history. The past was painful and dark, but the truth is that today we are a 'rainbow nation' with extraordinarily beautiful people, products and places precisely as a result of having navigated our way through this dark and back into the light. And how bright it truly is! Apart from endless sun-kissed days, we
are a modern destination that offers the best of the best when it comes to design, the arts, festivals, music, fashion, sports, etc. Then there’s our delectable wine & cuisine, pristine ecosystems, mountains and valleys. Our ancestors, our heroes and heroines of the struggle – those gone and those still among us – must certainly be proud.
What is your own idea of the perfect holiday? A beach-side villa in St Francis Bay, South Africa, with my beautiful son, fabulous wine, music, an absorbing book and endless sunsets!
www.sellinglonghaul.com • April 2012 59
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