South Africa is set to increase its tourist arrivals from India, according to Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane.
Kubayi-Ngubane has hailed as a resounding success her two-day market roadshow to Mumbai in India from January 14 to 16, the tourism department said in a statement.
The roadshow was characterised by “robust engagement” with tour operators, destination management companies, film producers and potential investors.
South Africa increased its efforts to unlock market opportunities for the realisation of the country’s 2030 target of doubling international tourist arrivals from 10.5 million to 21 million.
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“India remains one of our key trading partners and [a] priority market for driving arrival numbers to South Africa. We will continue to invest in our marketing and engagement efforts, both with our trade partners and travellers, while providing diversified tourist products,” Kubayi-Ngubane said in the statement.
With the forecasted 1.3 per cent rise in Indian traveller arrivals to South Africa in 2020, South African Tourism went through their strategy again so as to tap into the potential market as well as setting new growth benchmarks.
“We are actively promoting our new products, and efforts are being undertaken to educate [the] travel trade of the wide geographical extent of South Africa and unique tourism products in our less visited provinces,” she said.
“The growth in total spend and the average length of stay signifies that Indians travelling to South Africa are staying longer, as well as exploring and experiencing more activities than ever before. This is a positive indicator of the potential growth in the market and gives us the confidence to continue introducing new regions and experiences,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.
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she further indicated that the piloting of e-visas for the Indian market was under serious consideration and would be initiated soon in order to improve travel and tourism from the country
“As the government, we recognise the need for solution-driven policy approaches to address impediments to access our destination for business, leisure, [and] education, among others. We are in the advanced stages of testing and implementing interventions to liberalise our visa regulation to unlock the full potential of arrivals from India. The introduction of various visa options, including electronic visas and waivers, will indeed improve ease of travel,” she said.
