South African Tourism team was at the recently
concluded Akwaaba Africa Travel Market held in Lagos
The team led by Hloni Pitso, SAT Regional Manager,
West Africa truly showcased the rainbow country as a
must visit destination for Nigeria and West Africa
travellers.
In this
chat
Hloni
Pitso
talked
about
why is
South
African
Tourism
exhibited at the Akwaaba Travel Market where SAT has
continued to win awards. Excerpt
On the role of the SA Tourism West Africa office in
Lagos.
Nigeria is an attractive location for marketing efforts
due to increased air traffic from international
destinations with a steady flow of passengers from
Ghana and the ECOWAS regions.
Our office in Lagos is to firstly help us with our work of
growing arrivals from this market. Secondly, it is to use
as springboard into the West Africa region as a whole,
which we have communicated is pivotal to our
strategy. Our presence, via the SA Tourism office, will
further strengthen our trade relations with key the
stakeholders who are integral to helping us achieve
these objective of growing arrivals from these markets
to South Africa.
On SA Tourism strategies in Nigeria
Our strategies are targeted at the consumer and trade
driven. We want to equip the trade to be able to
package quality and value for money leisure
experiences that can be proudly shared with peers.
And we want to show consumers the extensive range of
unique and premium tourism offerings and experiences
to be found in South Africa
Key to showcasing this is hosting media for FAM trips
(often) ties in with key music and trade events
(Indaba) and at the end, giving a leisure experience we
know our market would be keen in.
On what South Africa got to offer the young, savvy
generations of Nigerians who are very adventurous
South Africa offers a range of bespoke, premier tourism
offerings. These include shopping centres with high
end boutique stores, a bustling night life to be found in
Johannesburg and Cape Town….in fact if you’re lucky
you may bump into a Hollywood star or one of our own
renowned celebrities.
For the adventure seeking tourist, if bungee jumping is
your idea of fun, try the Orlando Towers or Bloukrans
Bridge in PE, Eastern Cape which happens to be the
world’s highest commercial bridge. We are a
destination that is able to package and package well a
holiday experience to suit your needs and your
interests, ensuring you have a memorable and fulfilling
stay.
On why then should Nigerians travel to South Africa
South Africa is really incredibly accessible for Nigerian
travellers. It’s a six-hour direct flight with no jet lag
involved. More than this, South Africa’s city and urban
infrastructure rivals that of the other destinations you
speak of. South Africa – and especially the big cities –
offer fantastic shopping, nightlife, entertainment.
There’s excellent value for money to be had in South
Africa, meaning your Naira will buy you more in South
Africa than it will in the other destinations. For
example, a three course dinner for two (with wine) in a
fantastic restaurant in Cape Town will cost you about 8
750 Naira. The same meal, in London for example,
could will set you back at least twice that… if not more
The same principle applies to accommodation, a night
on the town and general shopping. But perhaps the
biggest reason to choose South Africa over the other
destinations is the South African people: warm, friendly
and welcoming with a truly deep and authentic culture
of service excellence… it’s the people who make this
destination special. And it’s for the warm welcome you
receive in South Africa that you should choose South
Africa first.
On how SA Tourism is promoting entertainment tourism
Yes. You are absolutely right. South Africa is a
fantastic entertainment, music and big concert
destination. And certainly, collaboration between our
two countries has done much to grow South Africa’s
status as a music and other event destination
We market these music events in many ways. There is
much marketing work around the South African jazz
festivals.
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