South African received 64 per cent forward bookings from Mumbai for the period of January – June 2023. Besides, the board has inked a strategic deal with Ethiopian Airlines to offer Mumbaikars lowest fares to Cape Town and Johannesburg starting from INR 42,139/- with additional offers.
“This is the 19th edition of our annual India Roadshow, and each time we are humbled by the warmth destination South Africa receives from travellers across the country. India continues to remain one of our key focus markets globally and it is encouraging to see upward growth from emerging cities like Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad, while traditional markets like Mumbai and Delhi continue to flourish. Building on this momentum further, we recently launched the second leg of our More & More campaign to engage with the audience from our target regions within India through desi and localised content. Through our customised engagement models we hope to further build aspiration and intent to travel,” said Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head, MEISEA, South African Tourism.
Further, South African Tourism organised Roadshows in key Indian cities – Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai between February 13 and 16 along with its 35-member trade delegation showcasing innovative and one-of-a-kind offerings for Indian consumers and trade partners.
Participating exhibitors represented key regions such as Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Eastern Cape aspiring for fruitful partnerships.
Following the pandemic, India has risen to the sixth largest international tourist market for South Africa. In the year gone by, South African Tourism board surpassed its annual targets by attracting 33,900 plus Indian travellers to the country. With improving accessibility and flight options, India holds considerable growth promise given that Indian travellers are the largest international consumers of adventure in South Africa.
The Roadshow held in Mumbai resulted in reinforcement of existing business deals between key Indian and South African trade partners and South African Tourism as well as paved the way towards building many such meaningful partnerships in the near future.
In 2022, India moved up two spots to become the 6th largest international source market for driving tourism in South Africa. Providing guidance on its strategic roadmap for 2023, its tourism board is aiming to achieve a substantial increase of 72 per cent, in Indian travellers over their previous year’s target. Keeping in mind the current demand, the tourism board is also eyeing an overall increase of 35 per cent in MICE travellers from India.
Moreover, South Africa witnessed highest number (64 per cent) of forward bookings from the city for January-June 2023. The relaxation in travel norms post the pandemic has been one of the biggest motivators and is showing no signs of slowing down. Confident in retaining the momentum and maintaining South Africa as a desired overseas destination, the tourism board has inked a strategic deal with Ethiopian Airlines. This value-driven deal offers Mumbaikars the lowest fares to Johannesburg and Cape Town, starting from INR 42,139 with additional offers for bookings until March 31, 2023.
