South Africa focuses on East African market to grow tourist numbers

Evelyn Mahlaba is the South African Tourism Regional Director for Africa

The agency charged with marketing South Africa as a tourist destination is set to open an office in Nairobi, which will act as a marketing hub in the region.

South African Tourism (SAT) will set up the office in its current financial year, which ends in March 2016. Evelyn Mahlaba, SAT’s regional director for Africa, revealed this while addressing attendants during a workshop at a local hotel last week.

The move is meant to help grow the number of visitors from the continent visiting South Africa.

Mahlaba assured that her agency is in constant communication with the concerned Government ministries to chart a way forward over contentious visa requirements that have troubled visitors to SA before. “We continuously engage with the Home Affairs department. Dialogue is continuing and we hope to reach a solution,” she said.

Commenting on the xenophobic violence that rocked sections of South Africa, she said the country should not be judged by the actions of a few.

product vendors

This was the first time the agency was participating in the workshops, which also attracted product vendors from the rest of the continent.

“SA Tourism has been successful in marketing South Africa to countries on the rest of continent. Growth from East Africa, and in particular Uganda and Kenya has seen a steady incline in recent years with the most recent arrivals indicating that in 2013, 35 605 and 17 182 tourists visited South Africa from Kenya and Uganda, representing a year on year growth of 7.9 per cent and 10.7 per cent for each market respectively,” said Mahlaba.

“The true growth and potential of our tourism sector can only be realised if the same growth is happening in countries on the rest of the continent. For South Africa to grow and reach its potential, all of Africa must grow, because we are in Africa.”

The agency has been supporting counterpart destinations in Africa by participating in their trade shows.

“Our participation at the Spotlight on East Africa workshops, and all the other trade shows we are preparing to take part in this year, is an outward show of investment and support for the continent’s travel and tourism industry,” explained Mahlaba.

“South Africa has had its fair share of challenges that have negatively affected our reputation as a people but also as a holiday destination thus making our job in particular rather strenuous. However, through it all, we have been humbled by the support of our counterparts who have continued to take part in our trade shows and tourists who have continued to visit our country,” she said.

Mahlaba, who was on her first official visit to Kenya and Uganda, took time to connect with South African traders who attended the workshop and key tourism stakeholders.

South Africa is one of Kenya’s biggest competitors for tourists on the continent.