Be warm and welcoming to tourists, SA urged

Source: Traveller 24, 10/11/2018

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London �` It is very important that South Africans are warm, welcoming
and friendly to tourists, because the more time these tourists spend
in SA, the more money they will spend and the better it will be for
the economy, according to Tolene van der Merwe, head of SA Tourism’s
UK and Ireland hub.
She told Fin24 ahead of the World Travel Market (WTM) London that her
key message for the South African public is that tourism is very
important for the economy. It is one of the fastest growing industries
in the world.
The United Kingdom (UK) is the biggest tourism source market for SA.
One of the big focus points for the UK and Ireland hub of SA Tourism
(SAT) is, therefore, to showcase new and exciting products to the UK
market.
Van der Merwe said 53% of tourists from the UK that visit SA are
repeat visitors and they want to experience something new each time.
That is one of the reasons why SAT is showcasing 33 small and medium
enterprises (SMes) at WTM London. The focus is further to provide
exposure to areas other than just the ones like the Western Cape and
the Kruger National Park, which first time visitors usually have as
priority.
Growth in UK tourists
“We have seen growth in UK tourists interested in visiting Gauteng,
the Eastern Cape as well as increasingly to the Northern Cape, which
is a real hidden gem,” said Van der Merwe.
“Tour operators are surprised at what more SA has to offer apart from
the same regions always being ‘sold’ to international tourists.”
SAT’s research shows that British travellers like to tick things off
their travel wish list �` for instance that they have done Table
Mountain, done the Blyde River Canyon and so forth.
They look for affordability. In this regard the expensive direct long
haul flights between the UK and Cape Town offer a challenge. Yet, if
UK tourists are willing to fly indirectly, they can get better deals,
says Van der Merwe.
`Instagrammable`
The strength of the pound to the rand is another plus for UK tourists
wanting to visit SA. As for targeting younger travellers, Van der
Merwe said this market segment find SA to be one of the most
`instagrammable` countries.
“SA is a destination for from young people taking a gap year up to
retirees,” said Van der Merwe.
She said SA can certainly also gain from tapping into the increase in
solo travel. On the other hand, concern about personal safety and
security is one of the challenges in the promotion of SA in the UK.
“We showcase how incredible SA is and the large number of satisfied
tourists returning to SA each year. If they did not feel safe, they
would not have visited SA again,” explained Van der Merwe.