South African Tourism continues robust investment in India market

- Economic Times

Prior to the pandemic, India was the eighth largest international market for South African Tourism.

Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism, maintains that India still remains a core market for South African Tourism globally, and holds much promise in the coming years.

Nkani goes on to mention that the tourism board’s marketing and communication approach is extremely focused and targeted and they are also looking at maintaining a consumer-centric approach, while also building trust and aspiration, and instilling confidence in consumers intending to travel.

Excerpts from an interview:

ETTravelWorld (ETTW): How hopeful are you about the revival of demand from the India market?

Neliswa Nkani (NN): Indian travellers are resilient, with a large appetite for travel and new experiences. They may, however, now choose to travel differently – we can expect to see a rise in FITs, demands for drivecations, and flexible booking dates. We are looking at introducing newer, customised experiences, products and itineraries for this rising FIT traveller segment.

In India, our target segments are experience-seeking millennials, HNIs and the family-oriented middle-class segments, as these are anticipated to be the driving force behind leisure travel recovery. We expect MICE travel to recover later this year albeit with smaller group sizes.

Given that India is a priority market for South African Tourism, we have continued robust investments in this market. Other than physical travel to South Africa – which was difficult due to border closures, all other activities continued as usual. Virtual conferences and platforms helped us drive substantial consumer outreach and trade education even in the face of a global lockdown.