South African Tourism has reiterated that Nigeria will remain the hub of all its marketing activities in the West Africa sub-region.
Phumi Dhlomo, SAT Regional Director for Africa & Domestic stated this at the annual SA Tourism West Africa Trade workshop held in Lagos last week.
“Nigeria as a hub for South African Tourism marketing activities will cater for countries in the West African region including Ghana which has been identified as a tactical market for SA Tourism marketing initiatives”, he disclosed.
Dhlomo explained that SA Tourism held the annual workshop in Nigeria because the country is a core source market for arrivals into South Africa from the West Africa sub-region and it presented the opportunity to share SA Tourism's marketing and activation calendar for the year with the trade, consumers and the media.
From January to December 2011, about 64, 402 Nigerians visited South Africa. The figure compared to the 2010 Nigeria tourists arrivals for same period represented 37.5% increase.
So far this year, there has been 21.4% increase on Nigeria arrivals in South Africa from January to May 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.
Over a hundred and fifty West African trade partners from Nigeria and Ghana attended this year’s South African Tourism Trade workshop alongside South African product owners who includes hoteliers, Inbound Tour Operators, Provincial Tourism Boards and Airlines.
The purpose of the workshop was to introduce South African products to the West African travel agents, with South African product owners exhibiting while the West African Trade attended the workshop to shop for products, negotiate rates and conclude deals.
In executing the new regional strategy to include Ghana trade, SA Tourism invited top performing travel agents from the country to attend the workshop in Lagos, Nigeria on an all expense paid trip.
Declaring the workshop open, the South African Consulate General in Lagos – Ambassador Mokgethi Sam Monaisa, stated that Africa as a whole must introduce standard of excellence in order to compete globally in the tourism industry.
The diplomat further challenged Africa to ensure the tourism industry of the continent grabs the increased market share of tourists’ arrivals as predicted by the World Bank.
Two Travel Consultants; Ms. Mopesola Olubukola Bayode of Dvine Travels & Tours Bureau Ltd and Mr. Azeez Akindunni of Royal Travel Plus & Tours Limited were lucky winners of a raffle draw which took place at this year’s event.
Both winners got an all expense paid trip to Cape Town & Johannesburg sponsored by SA Tourism, South African Airways and Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel respectively.
Over the years, South African Tourism has developed a reputation as an innovative DMO in the travel & tourism space characterised by its partnerships and presence on the largest tourism awareness platforms and would like the benefit of engagement with these travel titans to be more widely spread to as many of the West African travel trade as possible.