Local tourism marketing campaign communicates affordability of travel to all South Africans
The domestic tourism figures for South Africa for 2008 have shown that despite facing tough economic conditions, the South African tourism industry has remained relatively buoyant, Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has said.
Speaking at the release of the South African Tourism domestic travel statistics for 2008, the Minister said in comparison to 2007, more South Africans travelled domestically in 2008. He noted that about 46% of the adult South African population travelled in 2008, which represents a figure of about 14 million domestic tourists, compared to about 13 million domestic tourists in 2007.
The total annual spend on domestic tourism increased from R20 billion in 2007 to R25,8 billion in 2008, which represents an increase in nominal terms of 29%. Even when this figure is adjusted for inflation, the real growth in revenue generated from domestic tourism was 17% over 2007, which represents healthy growth, especially given that it was achieved under difficult market conditions. The average spend per trip also increased from R550 in 2007 to R780 in 2008 in nominal terms and R720 in 2007 in real terms, Minister van Schalkwyk said.
We never expected our local industry to be immune to the economic realities facing the entire world. Despite the good news in terms of an increase in domestic tourists and spend, we also saw a decrease in the number of trips undertaken in 2008. Domestic trips decreased by eight percent compared to 2007, with 32,9 million trips being undertaken in comparison to 35,9 million in 2007. We have to face these realities, but now that we can quantify the effects of the financial downturn on our tourism industry, we can plan and market better, the Minister said.
The newly formed Department of Tourism is currently engaged in a countrywide stakeholder tour to consult with role players in the tourism industry about their needs, as well as communicate our strategy for revitalizing the industry. These domestic tourism statistics will help all of us gain insight into trends in the industry, and these insights will in turn help inform the Tourism Sector Plan our department is currently drafting. This plan, the first of its kind for the entire tourism sector, will be a five year strategy and will focus on growing the sector and building resilience, Minister van Schalkwyk said.
During times like these it is vital for South African Tourism to strengthen its marketing campaigns and show South Africans that travelling our country is still affordable, said Minister van Schalkwyk. Value for money has always been a key driver when packaging travel for the local market.
The Minister said that KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape were the major beneficiaries of domestic tourism, with respectively 10,4 and 5,4 total number of annual trips to each province in 2008. They were followed closely by Gauteng and the Western Cape with 4,8 and 4,1 total annual trips each. In terms of the major source markets for domestic tourism, Gauteng led with 9,8 annual trips from the province, followed by 8,7 trips from KwaZulu-Natal, 5,1 from the Eastern Cape and 3,4 from the Western Cape.
2008 saw the re-launch of the domestic marketing campaign, Shot Left, showcasing average young South Africans going on holiday. The campaign is based on the simple philosophy of if others like me can experience it, I can do it too. If not, Ill be missing out, hence our entire rollout plan is about highlighting the ease, affordability and fun of travel, Nothando Mathe, SA Tourism's Country Manager for Southern Africa said.
2008 also saw Shot Left going online with a dedicated website supported by social media allowing for interaction between consumer, product and the tourism industry. Young South Africans collect, store and share their memories with others driven by their desire to connect, hence Shot Lefts presence online with 1,362 page views weekly, on Facebook with 103 fans, Twitter with 230 followers and on YouTube.
The Shot Left website has a marketing tool which enables local travel trade to load their deals and packages for free. The site is also interactive with a tool to upload your picture or video, allowing for real South Africans to share their own travel stories. This brings credibility and authenticity to what travelling is about. As a destination marketing organisation we need to bring that voice across and it should not solely be coming from us, explains Mathe.
Mathe reassures though that the online trade tool is not to remove initiating joint marketing agreements with local trade. We have identified trade partners in various travel sectors that have the same brand values as Shot Left and aim to make travel easy to do for the new holiday traveller.
As the umbrella body for marketing tourism domestically and internationally, working hand in hand with Provincial Tourism Authorities is a must, and this is achieved through advertising campaigns that offer destination experiences from the provinces.
An example of this is the soccer tournament, the Vodacom Cup Challenge taking place in South Africa's lesser visited provinces. We have bought media in regional radio stations to promote the event and tourist attractions of that province. The promotions also offer consumers the opportunity to win a trip to the game and experience what the province has to offer.
Consumer touch points have also been identified with Shot Left travel art murals in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and an outdoor billboard campaign going up in key locations in August 2009.
South African Tourism is committed to growing domestic tourism, says Mathe. We have seen how it benefits people, business and our nation as a whole and we will continue investing all efforts in ensuring the longevity of this dynamic industry.
For further information contact:
Ronel Bester
Ministry of Tourism
Thandiwe Mathibelaat
SA Tourism
Cell: +27 83 242 7763 or 082 552 0979
Tel: +27 11 895 3177
E-mail thandiwe@southafrica.net or rbester@deat.gov.za
