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South African Tourism’s stand at WTM London this year is smaller than previous years, following a reduction in exhibitor numbers. At the same time, the agency has reintroduced its UK roadshow and increased its marketing spend in the UK.
Last year, SA Tourism stand had 29 exhibiting companies and this year there are 22. The stand has also reduced in size. Tolene van der Merwe, SA Tourism’s UK Country Manager, explained that the move follows a look at return on investment. “I looked at the spend at WTM versus what we are getting back from it and I decided that I would reduce the stand and use that budget to create roadshows.” She added that the budget could also be spent on marketing South Africa in the UK.
Van der Merwe says SA Tourism hosted its first roadshow in the UK in March this year after a few years of not having a roadshow. Following a request from stakeholders, it will also run a roadshow after WTM London, from November 14-18. The roadshow will visit Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and London, where each event will be attended by up to 30 agents.
Commenting on the move to reintroduce roadshows, van der Merwe emphasised the need for agents to improve their destination knowledge. Branded “SAT School”, the roadshow will take the form of a full day training workshop, where exhibitors are given the opportunity meet travel agents face to face and update them on their products, experiences and destinations. Participating agents also stand a chance to win a familiarisation trip to South Africa. Van der Merwe says prize winners from March’s roadshow visited the country in September, some of them for the first time, and had a great time.
An additional tour operator workshop in March next year, just before ITB in Berlin, will give product owners the opportunity to meet with product managers of UK wholesalers. This roadshow will focus on new products.
Van Der Merwe says that while Brexit has created some uncertainty in the UK market, at roughly R16 or R17 to the pound, South Africa continues to offer value for money for the UK tourist. She expects this, together with increased air access into South Africa thanks to new flights from Thomas Cook as well as British Airways’ new Gatwick – Cape Town route, to push more travel to South Africa. She highlighted the positive growth the market has shown over the past year. The latest August figures showed year-to-date arrivals from the UK were up 12%.
SA Tourism is positioning South Africa in the UK as a value for money destination and also highlighting the variety of experiences on offer in the country. The agency recently held a consumer activation at South Bank, London, where a variety of crates showcased experiences including shark cage diving, rock climbing, music, food and viewing the penguins.
Sourse: tourismupdate.co.za
