By Sachin Murdeshwar

Mumbai : With the aim of reinforcing and strengthening tourism ties between India and South Africa, South African Hon. Minister of Tourism, Ms. Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane and Ms.

Sthembiso Dlamini, Chief Operating Officer – South African Tourism, visited India. The high-level delegation engaged with key representatives of the travel and tourism ecosystem, and reiterated commitment to enhance destination-marketing support in India, its 8th largest international source market.

The newly appointed Minister, along with the COO charted out the tourism board’s India-specific growth strategy for the new year. As South African Tourism setsits sights on doubling international tourist arrivals

from 10.5 million to 21 million by 2030, India is expected to play a significant role in achieving this long-

term goal. From January to October 2019, the destination welcomed 81,316 Indian visitors to South Africa

– a 5.48% YoY increase. Average length of stay saw an 8% YoY increase in the first half of 2019 from 25 nights to 27 nights. Total Indian traveller spends in the first half of 2019 were at a 4year high with South African Tourism achieving 64% of its annual spends target within this period.

“India continues to remain one of our key focus markets globally and it is encouraging to observe consistent, upward growth from multiple evolving & matured markets in the country. With more and more visitors citing South Africa’s scenic natural beauty as reasons to visit, we are focused in our efforts towards opening up newer geographies in our country. This will serve a dual objective of catering to this very consumer demand as well as offering a diversity of itinerary options for our trade partners to sell,” said Ms. Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head, MEISEA, South African Tourism.

South African Tourism aims at sustaining the growth momentum it has in the market with a forecasted 1.3% rise in Indian traveller arrivals to South Africa in 2020. To this effect, the tourism board has planned a strategic shift from trade sales to sales marketing to tap into the market potential and set new growth benchmarks. South African Tourism will also be working closely with various provincial tourism boards to drive collaborative tourism growth.

Sharing further insights, Ms. Nkani stated, “While South Africa has traditionally been perceived as a multi-

generation, family destination, it is heartening to see the substantial share of solo travellers in the overall Indian traveller pie. Our evolved brand strategy will help us drive South Africa’s value proposition across stakeholders while creating customized engagement models showcasing destination product offerings to suit the unique requirements from each of our target regions within India.”

In 2019, South Africa piloted a new e-visa system in New Zealand. On successful completion, there is intention to begin rolling-out e-visas in other countries, with India being amongst top priority markets.

With the aim to further stimulate travel and tourism from India, the Minister indicated that the piloting of e-visas for the market was under serious consideration and would be initiated shortly. This comes close on the heels of an initiative launched in 2018 pre-vetted visas for top tour operators to fast-track visa processing.

In November 2019, the South African Minister of Home Affairs announced that the country was doing away – with immediate effect – the need for unabridged birth certificates previously required by minors visiting from international countries.

South African Hon. Minister of Tourism, Ms. Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane announced that, “South Africa has taken several measures to provide ease of access to Indian tourists including bringing changes in the visa regime. The online visa application system pilot testing will happen from next week and if the pilot project goes without any glitch, a full roll out will take place from 1st April 2020. We have a positive outlook for the India market and are also in talks with India for granting multiple-entry visa to South Africa.”

“MICE and sports tourism are predicted to drive arrivals growth for South Africa. South Africa has also emerged as a popular wedding destination for Indians. The South African government is also exploring interests from third country airlines willing to operate direct flights on the India-South Africa routes and any relevant proposals would be discussed with the Indian government,” added the Minister.

From January to September 2019, MICE accounted for 24% of the Indian traveller visits. 43% of overall Indian arrivals to South Africa were repeat visitors. 2019 witnessed a 36.6% increase in Indian traveller spends on shopping and a 26% increase in spends on leisure activities in South Africa.

While business and leisure traveller segments continue to drive footfalls to South Africa, the tourism board has witnessed a steady rise in MICE groups from India. Given the tourism business MICE is capable of driving, this segment is a key focus area for South African Tourism in 2020.

Tourism is one of the key contributors of growth to the South African economy. The WTTC report estimates that by 2028 almost 2.1 million jobs in South Africa will depend on travel and tourism. Towards this, South African Tourism intends on working closely with SMMEs to create job opportunities, thus contributing significantly to the GDP and introducing fresh / new products while also curating out-of-the- box itineraries.