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ANALYSIS


Q&A


Tolene Van der Merwe, Hub Head for the UK & Ireland at South African Tourism


How do you expect the UK and Ireland market to perform in 2019/20? The UK and Ireland


remains South Africa’s number one


source market for interna- tional tourist arrivals and I’m


years, not least the boost it received from British Airways and Thomas Cook’s new Gatwick services introduced in 2015/16. Seperately, the blossoming of its upmarket Silo District on the V&A Waterfront, where highlights include the five-star Silo Hotel and Zeitz MoCAA gallery, which opened in 2017. New products in Johannesburg include the new Visitor Information Centre on Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, backed by a new-look website and app.


PRODUCT GROWTH On the accommodation front, the


development buzz remains busiest at the high end, driven by operators such as &Beyond. UK operators including Travelsphere and Contiki continue to add new product, while Premier Holidays has devised a new trade campaign in partnership with South African Tourism and South African Airways.


confident we’ll see an increase in visitor numbers in 2019 and 2020. The increase in UK airlift shows there is a huge demand for travel to South Africa and it will certainly have a significant impact. UK visitors can now easily access all three of our major cities in under 12 hours. Plus, South Africa is relaxing its restrictions on travelling with minors, which will help increase the number of families and school groups visiting.


How does South Africa plan to attract more international tourists? We’re delighted the govern- ment is focusing on supporting key tourism markets to reduce regulatory barriers and develop emerging tourism businesses. We’re focusing on promoting some of South Africa’s less- er-known regions and encour- aging tourists to discover our hidden gems, particularly outside of Cape Town and the Garden Route. The new Heathrow-Durban flight route will certainly encourage tourism growth to other, lesser-known areas of the destination in and around KwaZulu-Natal.


SOUTHAFRICA .NET


What activities are you planning for the travel trade in 2019/20? The travel trade is vital to helping us achieve our goal of attracting four million more international tourists by 2021. We’ll be hosting travel agent FAMs throughout 2019, including a MegaFAM in June, and following the success of our SAT School training roadshow, which runs twice a year, we intend to run this again. Earlier this year, we broadcast a series of Facebook Live videos via our UK & Ireland Travel Trade Facebook page. Also, we recently hired a trade training specialist whose tasks include building on our trade Facebook platform, managing an agent programme at Indaba, Africa’s largest Travel Show, and implementing agent incentives.


What are the key trade messages for 2019/20? The key messages for 2019/2020 will focus on encouraging travel agents to maximise selling opportunities in line with the new or increased flight routes from the UK and highlight to their customers South Africa’s incredible value for money.


What tourism trends are you seeing? There continues to be a demand for authentic travel experiences which offer the opportunity to engage with locals and give something back to the commu- nity. We are also continuing to see a significant rise in responsi- ble tourism, not just in terms of conservation and the environ- ment but supporting local communities and economies. Wildlife and safari is still a key driver but through our Meet Your South Africa campaign, we’re showcasing the country’s diversity. While November to March is peak season for British and Irish travellers, South Africa is a great value for money, year- round destination.


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