executive impact

South African Tourism

14 Comments
By Chris Betros

South Africa has launched a new tourism campaign this year, with the slogan Inspiring New Ways. The republic got a big boost during the 2010 soccer World Cup, but it is now looking for go beyond that.

Japan is one of the target markets. In 2010, there were 27,577 arrivals, while in 2011, the figure was 26,284 (which is an increase if you take away the 4,000 Japanese who went there just for the World Cup). The total number of visitor arrivals in South Africa in 2011 was 8,339,354.

In charge of the tourism campaign is Thulani Nzima, CEO of South African Tourism. Prior to taking up his current position in January, Nzima was with AVIS Rent-a-Car, South African Airways and the South African Travel Centre.

Japan Today editor Chris Betros catches up with Nzima while he was in Tokyo recently.

What were your key objectives when you took this job in January?

My top priority to make sure I execute the tourism sector strategy. That involves several key objectives. No. 1 is to create tourism-related jobs -- 225,000 jobs by 2020. No. 2 is to make sure tourism contributes positively to the GDP of South Africa by encouraging tourists to stay longer. No. 3 is to make sure we spread tourism geographically, not concentrate on well-established routes, but make sure every part gets a fair share. No. 4 is to make sure we increase tourism arrivals to 15 million by 2020. In 2011, we had just over 8 million arrivals, a 3.3% growth over global trends of 4.4%.

To achieve these objectives, everyone has to play their part, from airlines, immigration officers, hotels and restaurants. We are carrying out a domestic campaign aimed at getting South Africans to get to know their own country and become knowledgeable and proud of it. In doing that, they find new tourist attractions, which we can then add to new itineraries, broadening our product range.

What would you say are South Africa’s most appealing aspects?

South Africa has got a lot more to offer than most people think. In fact, this distinguishes us from other destinations in Africa that might just offer safaris. Of course, we have safaris also, but besides seeing one of the Big Five -- lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo – you can see Plus 2 – whales and sharks.

Beyond that, a major appeal is that you can experience our heritage, culture, scenic beauty and interact with people. That’s what people remember the most, not the elephant behind them in the photo. It is how they interacted with the people and the emotional connection.

Then there is casino gambling and some of the finest golf courses in the world – Sun City or the Legend Golf & Safari Resort, for example.

What are your key markets?

Currently, most tourists come from Europe, then the Americas. However, Africa and Asia are showing growth. From Japan, we had 27,000 arrivals in 2010, of which 4,000 went for the World Cup only in June. At the end of 2011, that number was down 4.7%, but if you take away the impact of the World Cup, it was an increase of 11% over 2010.

There are no direct flights from Japan to South Africa. Is that an obstacle?

There is no need for direct flights. It is not a deterrent to people coming to South Africa. There are a lot of markers which do not have direct flights to South Africa. Airline models work on the basis of alliances and hubs. As long as tourists do not spend a lot of time at connecting airports, and there is a through service, and as long as airfares are affordable, the absence of direct flights is not an issue.

How do you approach the Japanese market?

We are well informed when we approach a market. We don’t shoot from the hip. We make sure we have done sufficient research. In Japan, we have received very good consumer insight into what Japanese want when they travel abroad to other destinations such as the U.S., Australia, Europe. So we look at what we can we offer them that is unique, and design our marketing communication messages along those lines.

Japan’s challenge is that people don’t have long vacations. So if they have 8 days’ holiday, they don’t want to spend two days getting to a destination. They want to be there as quickly as possible.

What is the awareness level of South Africa like in Japan?

It has been a bit low. Before the soccer World Cup, Japanese thought there was crime all over. Once they visit us, their impression changes and we get a huge number of repeat visitors. Japanese love to experience interaction with penguins, go to townships and dance with people, learn about our history and the challenges in achieving democracy. Many tourists go to see where Nelson Mandela was jailed.

How is the infrastructure?

Mind-boggling. One of the benefits and legacies of the World Cup is that a lot of hotels built additional rooms. Many hotels now are reporting 78-80% occupancy levels.

What needs more attention?

We probably need more language specialists to help visitors and signs in various languages.

How are you using social media in your marketing campaign?

Social media is very important. If you go to our Facebook page, you’ll see stories told by people, not paid advertising, but their own experiences. We even have TripAdvisor linked to our website where people post their own itineraries and advise others of the best routes. In addition, we are using Twitter and mobile sites.

What is the most interesting aspect of your job?

The excitement of creating new experiences.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


14 Comments
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South Africa is a wonderful place; I lived and worked there for 5 years. What has not been mentioned is that there is extreme poverty among the majority South Africans, plus a lot of illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe. Hence, crime rate is extremely high. Visitors should be careful.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Crime is a problem. Lack of direct flights too. But a great place.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Wakarimasen

Crime is a problem. Lack of direct flights too. But a great place.

I have to say, lack of direct flights isnt a South Africa problem but is more of a Japan problem as it is extremely expensive and difficult to get direct flights to anywhere from Japan. As for the crime yes it is a problem but by using your brains you can minimise your risks

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

South Africa is a modern country and a premier travel destination offering a unique mix of wildlife and beautiful landscaping infused with vibrant culture and great climate. Everybody practically speaks English. They have some great beaches and famous wine-lands offering a rich historical experience. Unfortunately crime is a prominent issue and their is especially a high rate of murders. However most of it is between people that know each other. My advice is to enjoy the friendly people and take their advice on where to avoid and you'll have a wonderful time. It is easy to travel around so don't forget to visit the stunning coastal towns, enjoy a safari and don't forget to eat plenty of the diverse, delicious amazing food.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

How to boost tourism to South Africa?

Stop exporting only the worst wines. The stuff I've seen in bottle stores here is pathetic. There are better wines (and cheaper wines!) sold in every bottlestore in South Africa, but Japan only seems to be seeing the bottom of the range. Import some of SA's amazing fruit to Japan. Once they taste the amazing avocados from SA most Japanese will rethink their approach to avos. The (mostly mexican) avos in Japan are disgusting, bitter and hard. SA avos are rich, buttery and soft.

From the SA side:

Improve infrastructure - I have friends in SA who say the potholes are getting worse by the month, and flights are getting less and less safe (a number of near accidents recently). Train Japanese speaking tour guides - Most Japanese don't speak English well. Deal with it. Improve Safety - The Japanese are generally very risk averse. Even one incident of a Japanese tourist getting killed would stop 90% of tourism from Japan, and with SA's poor policing this is inevitable.
-2 ( +0 / -2 )

For south africa, more needs to be done on crime, security and safety. It is not also an easy place to travel around if u do not have a personal car! There are also too many guns in wrong hands and too many road accidents.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

On top of my things-to-do list. I hope I can go there soon.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Definitely a country I'd love to visit. A wine tour would be nice. Shame about the crooked, incompetent government they have and the crime rate, though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

While in South Africa, visitors should visit Botswana. Botswana do not have the same infrastructure as SA, people are also very poor, but it is very safe, and the people are very friendly. Visit Kasane and take a short drive to visit Vitoria Falls. Its spectacular.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

1 Aussie

I agree. SA is very dangerous. I worked in Lagos where the locals just point a gun and talk you out of your money. In SA they shoot first and then take your money. I will never go back to SA. Botswana is just great.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sherman, I have heard people say that. It is a pity 'cos SA is sure a beautiful country.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

is that all you think about South Africa? high crime? any country you go to you will either get rape, killed or mugged there are safe places in South Africa like Cape Town, George, Port Elizabeth and many more. Many tourist and foreigners say they'd much rather live in South Africa then anywhere else

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Motheo. If you read the comments so far, the readers, including myself, say that SA is a beautiful country. And you are right, crime do exist in other countries, but ....... 58 people get murdered everyday in SA, and the countless assults, rapes, car-jacking that does not get report? All we are saying be careful. Nice country but..... To me, Capetown is the most beautiful city in the world, bet I still say, it is not safe. I would not walk alone in the streets alone. Been there, done that. Get your govt to be serious about corruption and crime. Start with your beloved Zuma.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is unfair to deny a trip to SA for any potential tourist, Japanese tourists included - just because of the crime rate of the country. Statistics show that those most affected by crime is in actual fact South Africans themselves. Even worse, violent crime is associated with the poorer suburbs and is usually contained within these boundaries - places that tourists rarely if ever visit.

We all know that crime is a result of poverty - tourists not visiting because of crime committed against the locals put us in a catch22 situation where we actually need the tourist revenue to uplift communities.

I've worked in the tourism industry in SA for over 10 years and crime against tourists never amounted to anything more than petty theft. I've been living in Japan for the past 3 years and recently escorted a Japanese couple to SA where they had the time of their life. Being seasoned travellers, SA ranked right up there in terms of service, value and mind-blowing natural beauty which is a major attraction for the Japanese market.

I don't understand how Mr Nzima can disregard the lack of direct flights to SA so easily while at the same time lamenting that the Japanese tourist don't have 2 days to travel to his destination - which is exactly the time it takes to get to SA ! Travelling to Narita and checking in, boarding, transit, etc. - a bit of a contradiction there. Well, it's give or take about 24 hours one-way.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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