South African Tourism ushered in the new year through a highly successful association with South Asia’s leading travel show, SATTE 2020. The tourism board showcased the
destination, for the first time ever, at the 27th edition of the trade show that was held at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida in Delhi NCR.
Along with 43 key South African exhibitors, the tourism board introduced novel products and upgraded destination offerings including DMCs, exclusive accommodation facilities, luxury experiences, advanced MICE infrastructure, SMMEs, as well as unique adventure, wildlife and culinary capabilities. The collective South African exhibition witnessed a multitude of productive meetings and new business partnerships with the crème-de-le-crème of the travel and tourism industry.
With indigenous South African performances and wine-tasting pop-ups, the destination board also offered the delegates at SATTE 2020 an experiential cultural indulgence. One of the key agendas for the tourism board during SATTE 2020 was to put the spotlight on the new regions of South Africa. According to brand research, most Indian travellers include a city, either the Mother City – Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban on their itineraries and use these cities as a gateway to the rest of these picturesque new regions, including the stunning and relatively unexplored Port Elizabeth, Robertson, West Coast, Drakensberg and Panorama Route.
Addressing the media during the trade event, Ms. Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism said, “We are extremely delighted with the reception South Africa received at SATTE 2020. We are also grateful to the trade fraternity for their support in packaging and endorsing the best of the Rainbow Nation. At South African Tourism, we constantly strive to innovate product and experience to allow each of our source markets a relevant, customized and memorable itinerary. As Indian travellers are looking to pack in a lot of action within shorter time spans, our New Region offerings were particularly well-received by the travel trade this year.”
”We are also proud to have had 13 SMMEs as part of the exhibitor delegation. One of our core objectives at South African Tourism is to support and grow the local economy. SMMEs play a major role in the travel ecosystem and it is our privilege to partner with these exhibitors who bring unique, off-beat experiences to the table, and help us innovate our itineraries,” she added.
Another major focus area for South African Tourism this year was educating the trade on the massive MICE offerings of the Rainbow Nation. South Africa has continually made great efforts to improve infrastructure in the country in order to provide a more convenient and modern environment to global cricket and football fans, as well as other MICE travellers.
South African Tourism is all set to make 2020 another milestone year for the destination. The tourism board’s intensified trade effort in the region is evident from the fact that South African Tourism’s 17th Annual Roadshow to 3 Indian cities this year.
