In an exclusive interview with Travel Trade Insider, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism shares that the tourism board has put in place various sustenance measures to help its local tourism businesses stay afloat, with a special focus on small and medium business.
To this effect, the Department of Tourism has made an additional R200 million available to assist Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in the tourism and hospitality sector who are under particular stress due to the new travel restrictions.
Q. The present Covid-19 world has posed never seen challenges for the tourism market, as a tourism board what have been your learnings from such an unprecedented scenario?
A. South Africa has opened its doors for international travel beginning October 1st 2020. We followed a phased approach to reopen and restore travel, much like India. The shift was gradual, with emphasis first laid on hyperlocal travel, extending to domestic travel, and then on to regional and international travel.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest challenge the industry has faced in terms of impact and reach. However, depending on how you look at it, each crisis brings along with it certain opportunities. We now have the opportunity and space to reinvent ourselves; the pandemic has in many ways accelerated the future. It has allowed us the time to bring in disruptions, innovations and adapt sustainable alternatives.
The earth finally has some breathing space, carbon emissions are sharply falling, the air is cleaner and quieter, and wildlife is reclaiming niches they once called home. In South Africa itself, we have had interesting examples of penguins wandering around the streets of Simon’s Town, and lions napping on empty roads in Kruger National Park, which is one of the largest national parks in Africa.
This is a time of restoration and a chance for us to reconsider, include the environment in our plans and begin anew. Going forward, we are going to have to be responsible and sustainable tourists.
Q. With international tourism coming to a halt now, how have you supported the local tourism and hospitality stakeholders in SA?
A. Even though international travel was halted, we have been highly encouraged by the interest we are seeing from both domestic and international investors, looking for opportunities in the tourism sector. This gives hope that the supply side of the tourism sector will not only recover, but has the potential to surpass where we were as a sector prior to the pandemic. Our responsibility is to ensure that as we recover and grow, we bring along the previously disadvantaged groups, thereby ensuring inclusivity, transformation and sustainability of our tourism sector.
We will use our Tourism Equity Fund as a mechanism to support this transformation imperative in the sector. In the meanwhile, we have put in place various sustenance measures, to help our local tourism businesses stay afloat, with a special focus on small and medium business. To this effect, the Department of Tourism has made an additional R200 million available to assist SMMEs in the tourism and hospitality sector who are under particular stress due to the new travel restrictions.
Q. Some tourism boards have made it mandatory for incoming travellers to stay for a long duration in a destination or have imposed a mandatory quarantine period. Is South African Tourism Board looking at a similar approach?
A. We have not imposed a quarantine period for all international travellers to the country. On arrival, travellers are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result not older than 72 hours from the time of departure. However, travellers who have not undergone COVID-19 test prior to departure will be required to remain in mandatory quarantine at their own cost.
Keeping in mind the health and safety of travellers and locals, we have various mitigation and containment in measures in place. All travellers will be screened on arrival and those displaying symptoms will be required to remain in quarantine until a repeat COVID-19 test is conducted. Installation of the COVID Alert South Africa mobile app will also be required of all travellers.
Travellers from India will be able to use one of the three main airports: King Shaka, O.R. Tambo and Cape Town International Airport.
Q. What kind of trends or demand pattern are you expecting to see from the Indian market once the Covid-19 curve flattens?
A. Consumers are now going to be more concerned about health and hygiene than ever, hence businesses are going to have to primarily establish and secure consumer confidence. This may mean get a larger amount of information out onto the public domain regarding safety and hygiene practices, getting certain accreditation procedures in place before stating ‘okay to travel’ etc.
Destinations, airlines, travel hubs and experience providers will need to adapt by putting in place and abiding by high, strict health standards. We can also expect to see an increase in requests for personalized and tailored offerings.
There is a need for a lot more collaborative effort across various levels of the supply chain. It is our sense that ‘airport to airport’ services will be sought by travellers looking to book trips. This will mean a deeper level of collaboration between travel specialists, aviation providers, local transport segments, hotels, product and experiences sellers. Personal engagement will be key to motivating and reassuring travellers.
We also expect to see the immersive travel trend continue in a post-Covid world, with a greater focus on sustainability. This means that travellers will be more conscious of where they spend their money, what kind of accommodation they choose, where they dine, and how they travel locally.
We are looking at introducing newer, customized experiences, products and itineraries for the rising FIT traveller segment. Given that travellers are predicted to seek offbeat destinations, with good connectivity and a large number of activities within confined areas – we anticipate that South Africa’s new regions and geographies will be a hit with Indian travellers post-Covid.
We also expect self-drives to be popular with Indian travellers given that South Africa has some of the most beautiful self-drive routes in the world. The fact that Indian licenses are valid in South Africa is a huge bonus!
Experience-seeking millennials, HNIs and the family-oriented middle-class segments are anticipated to be the driving force behind the leisure travel recovery, while MICE travel can be expected to recover early next year albeit with smaller group sizes. These travellers are now actively seeking safety assurance and good deals – and the competitive pricing edge that South Africa has over most other long-haul international destinations, will go a long way in aiding travel conversions.
We also intend to educate consumers regarding our sustainable product offerings and ecotourism experiences, like cycling tours, nature safaris, conservation projects and rural experiences.
Q. Many overseas markets are reserved about opening tourism to destinations with a large number of Covid-19 positive cases. Will South Africa allow tourists from India when international flights resume here?
A. This is still under consideration, however, India is a priority market for us. We remain positive and committed to stretch all boundaries of innovation, as we look to rebuild aspiration and Indian consumer confidence in South Africa as a destination. Up until the pandemic brought the world and global tourism to a halt, India housed one of the fastest-growing outbound travel markets in the world and was the 8th largest international source market for South African Tourism. We believe that this vibrant nation will continue to play a critical role in achieving our international tourism goals.
Q. A lot of destinations are promoting and marketing now through virtual platforms. As a tourism board will you prefer such remote marketing channels even in the post-pandemic world?
A. Even before the pandemic, we realized the importance of localized, targeted and relevant content, and thus, increased our digital presence in India. We have seen exponential growth in the number of Indians availing smartphones, cheap data packages, and shifting to digital mediums to consume content. During the lockdown period, we also noticed an increase in screen time by our consumers, and hence promoted virtual tourism in a big way in order to continue to remain top-of-mind. We believe that virtual reality can be used as an effective destination brochure. It allows consumers a look and feel of the product and aids in building aspiration.
For example, Kruger National Park, Ulusaba Private Game Reserve and several other national parks are offering virtual LIVE safaris to viewers from across the world. Theses virtual shows enable you to interact with an expert game ranger in real-time! Safari vehicles, guides on foot, drones, balloons, rovers and remote cams all roam the terrains of South Africa, to bring the best possible safari viewing experience to homes.
We have also used digital mediums to educate our trade partners, who ultimately sell the destination. SA Specialist, our fun and interactive online learning programme, has witnessed an increase in the number of Indian travel trade undertaking the training, as trade agents are using the lockdown period to upskill and reskill themselves.
Our marketing and communication approach is simple – we are looking at maintaining a consumer-centric approach, while also building trust and aspiration, and instilling confidence in consumers intending to travel. Consumers will seek assurance and human guidance, as they consider and plan to travel. They should be made well aware of all processes and requirements by the destination or transfer facilities, in order to avoid a mismatch in expectations and allow for smooth journeys. We plan on educating consumers through owned and earned, digital, print and electronic platforms, in engaging easy-to-consume formats.
Q. Indian outbound travel agents have been hard hit because of the pandemic. A lot of agents have even moved to other businesses. As a tourism board, how do you find the present response from travel agents in terms of eagerness towards learning about a destination or participating in webinars?
A. We have received an extremely positive response from travel trade during the lockdown period. SA Specialist, South African Tourism’s fun and interactive online learning programme, has witnessed an increase in the number of Indian travel trade undertaking the training. Trade agents have been using the lockdown period to upskill and reskill themselves as South Africa, being one of the most sought-after outbound destinations by Indian travellers, leads the consideration pack for future travel plans.
March 2020 recorded the highest number of Essential Graduates from the programme in 9 years – since 2011! The first half of April 2020 saw 486 graduates, the third largest since 2011. In less than 4 months of 2020, the SA Specialist programme saw 1,161 new registrations from India, with 672 graduates thus far! Indian registrations account for nearly 1/3rd of our global registrations for 2020.
Since 2013, India has had the highest number of SA Specialists after South Africa – this is a proud accomplishment for the region. We are certain that the hunger for learning, creativity and enthusiasm fostered by the Indian industry will go a long way in ensuring a positive turn for both, international and domestic travel sectors, once the global situation stabilizes. We extend our complete support to all our trade partners and continue to stand in solidarity with the industry during these testing times.