German businesses to SA: Protect wildlife, relax Visa regulations and improve diversity in tourism sector

Source: Fin 24, 31/08/2019

SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona opened the discussion and said SA was
starting to think differently about tourism to cater for the
modern-day tourist who seeks authenticity, life-changing
experiences and tailored offerings.
He said the things that worked 30 years ago won`t necessarily be
useful in successfully growing the industry going forward. The
round-table discussion provided an opportunity for feedback on the
experience of German tourists so that SA could better respond to
client needs, Ntshona explained.
Knowledgeable guides
Ingo Lies, founder of German tour operating company Chamäleon-
Reisen, put forward that SA needed to work on the quality of its
guides, and said it is not enough for guides to speak German. They
also have to be knowledgeable.
`There is more to [being a guide] nowadays. If you want to attract
the younger generation, there are different issues to address,` he
said.
Ntshona responded by saying steps are being taken to redefine what
a tour guide means to attract new clients.
Lies also called for more diversity in SA`s tourism space,
specifically in terms of locally-owned and operated business and
especially in terms of black business. Similarly Andre Thomas,
senior product manager for Africa at German tour operator FTI
Touristik, also raised concerns about the diversity in the tourism
sector and said that more black businesses should be brought into
mainstream tourism.
`I think that tourism needs to be made sexy and [needs to be]
brought into schools. Students and scholars need to be educated on
how the tourism chain works and industry works,` Thomas said.
`We need to have more black faces in the tourism industry as
business owners and business providers with access to the
international market.`
Thomas said that it was not just up to bodies like SA Tourism to
address diversity challenges, but all stakeholders including
private companies and government departments had a role to play
too.
In response, Ntshona explained that the lack of black ownership
was due to the country`s legacy.
Visa requirements also made it difficult for tourists to travel
with their families, Lies pointed out. In his response Ntshona
said the Visa regulations were an `own goal` and had not been well
thought out in terms of legislation.
`It was done with the right intention, but the execution had
consequences,` Ntshona admitted. `We are in the process of undoing
it to make it simple for people to travel with children. At the
very least, we want to be on par with the rest of the world in
terms of ... travel with children,` he explained.
Environmentally friendly
Lies also raised issues related to the environment. `We would like
to see SA stand up for wildlife protection,` he said. Lies
explained this would help attract a younger market.
He also asked for the SA industry to take steps to reduce plastic
consumption particularly at various tourist accommodation options.
`As tour operators, we try to make trips plastic free,` he said.
Ntshona said that wildlife protection would start with consumer
education. As an example he referred to how circuses stopped using
animals after consumers became aware of the cruelty towards
animals, eventually circuses stopped incorporating animals in
shows because consumer demand dropped.
As for plastic use, Ntshona said plastic straws could hardly be
found in Cape Town and that South Africans used social media to
actively name and shame businesses which still use plastic straws.
Between 2015 and 2018, German arrivals grew by 33%, and of these
40% were repeat visitors, Ntshona highlighted.
`You love us very much, we want to thank you very much for loving
us, please continue to love us,` he said.
Germany is one of the three key markets to South Africa, the
others being the UK and the US.
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