South African Tourism is all set to kick off the last quarter of 2021 with their maiden virtual Roadshow in India. Titled ‘VirtuallyYoursSouthAfrica’ the national roadshow aims to showcase unique offerings that encapsulate South African adventures from 20th to 22nd October 2021.
Capitalizing on high traveller intent to visit destination South Africa, a diverse South African trade delegation of approximately 100 suppliers will take the opportunity to educate and collaborate with Indian trade partners to sell the destination holistically, responsibly and safely. In addition to experiences, representatives from accommodation establishments, destination management companies, South African Provinces, VFS, airlines, SMMEs will showcase their product and services, while engaging Indian travel and trade associates. The tourism board expects lucrative partnerships to emerge given that 1,000 Indian buyers and corporates from across India will be attending this virtual event.
The three-day roadshow will include an exclusive CEO address to the top travel trade and corporate CEOs in India. It is also slated to host an exclusive industry panel discussion, breakout rooms for participants, photo booths, interactive maps and brochures as well as one-on-one access to select meetings and extensive corporate engagement.
Speaking about the 2021 virtual edition of the Roadshow, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism said, “This virtual roadshow is a testament of our unwavering commitment to the Indian market, especially in the face of a global pandemic. India houses massive potential when it comes to long-haul outbound travel. We are seeing a huge uptake for travel with forward bookings showing an upward curve, especially in the FIT segment. We are, hence, excited to showcase the new, technologically evolved, cutting edge South Africa that still maintains its old-world charm, natural attractions and warm hospitality. We expect mutually beneficial partnerships and impactful business conversions between South African exhibitors and Indian buyers to stem from our first virtual roadshow.”
Given the increase in Indian traveller demand, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airlines have regular flights scheduled from India to South Africa, with layovers at Dubai, Doha and Addis Ababa respectively. Additionally, Air Seychelles is also scheduled to resume flights from India to South Africa. To facilitate a smooth travel journey for them, South African visas are now being made available within 5-7 working days or less from the date of application.
“As we look at going bullish on our travel recovery efforts, we encourage our friends and partners in the Indian trade fraternity to journey with us on-screen. We remain optimistic of meeting in person, hopefully for a physical roadshow next year, once the pandemic tides over. But until then, we remain Virtually Yours,” Ms. Nkani concluded.
South Africa currently has internationally benchmarked health and safety protocols in place at all private game lodges and government-owned national parks, shopping hubs, restaurants and accommodation facilities and all other tourism-related products and experiences. These safety measures include a lesser number of tourists in a safari vehicle to promote social distancing, digital menus, touchless parking, e-payment systems, hand-sanitization and disinfection stations, individually sanitized and packed takeaways/room service etc.
Travellers intending to visit South Africa are required to produce a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test that is not older than 72 hours from the time of departure from the country of origin to South Africa.
