Wednesday, July 4, 2012


South African Tourism announces commencement of Module III for “Learn South Africa” training programme 
~ The popular training module to be more interactive and action packed this year ~

Kolkata– South African Tourism will be hosting Module III of its popular classroom training session ‘Learn South Africa’ for its travel partners from June 12 through July 28, 2012.The Learn South Africa training programme was launched in 2010 with the objective to enhance  knowledge of frontline staff about South Africa. The success and feedback received over the past two years encouraged South African Tourism to not only further improve the method of training but also extend the traning programme to 30 cities across India this year compared to 14 cities last year.
‘Learn South Africa’ is a unique programme which aims to train travel professionals to promote, plan and organize attractive packages to South Africa as per their Client’s varied needs and desires. The module aims to provide in-depth knowledge on the Rainbow Nation, in a more interactive session which allows travel agents to better understand the offerings of South Africa as a preferred travel destination and therefore enabling them to cater to the wide-ranging requirements of Indian travelers.



Commenting on the new and exciting module of Learn South Africa, Ms. Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism said, “Over the years we have been receiving huge number of tourists from India, making this country one of our core focus markets for growth. As you might be aware, in 2011, 90,367 Indians visited South Africa which is a 26.2% jump compared to 2010. Keeping the growth potential in mind, we will continue investing in training our trade partners to create profitable partnerships that can only benefit the consumer in the long run.”
“Basis feedback received from travel agents who attended previous modules and from the consumer insights drawn from the Indian market, we have revamped the module to make it shorter, smarter and exciting. We have also revised the content to make it more palatable to Indian traveler in achieving his aspirations” said Ms. Slabber.
Registration for this programme is free and does not restrict the number of participants from each company. Due to the limited availability of seats, travel professionals can register by writing to the board on learnsa@avian-media.com at the earliest.



Latest Highlights and Updates: South African Tourism in India
·         A large number of Indian tourists are choosing South Africa as their holiday destination as proven by the recent arrivals statistics of the country. An exceptional jump of 26.2% in Indian arrivals was witnessed by the destination with a total of 90, 367 Indians tourists travelling to the country during the calendar year of 2011

·         As per latest reports,Indian tourist arrival figure for Jan-Feb 2012 has gone up by 18% where in a total of  14,001 Indians visited Sunny South Africa as compared to 11,864 for the corresponding period in 2011

·         The upward trend, already seen in January 2012, continues in the second month of the year 2012 clearly showing the rising Indian travel interest towards South Africa. South Africa received 6805 visitors in the month of February 2012, up 24.9% compared with 5449 visitors in February 2011.

·         South Africa’s largest tourism marketing event, INDABA 2012, concluded on a high note at Durban on May 15. The top travel show of the African continent saw participation from more than 1500 exhibitors and more than 11,000 visitors.

·         South Africa has been voted as the Best Destination for Wildlife (International) for 2012. Readers of the widely popular Lonely Planet magazine voted South Africa as the Best International Destination for Wildlife for 2012.

·         South African Tourism undertook an innovative consumer outreach initiative in partnership with Lonely Planet.  South African Tourism, India, clubbed tourism and cricket in the form of a special association with Jonty Rhodes to launch ‘MySouth African Diary’, a travel guide written by the cricketer on his holiday experiences from the country. The diary encapsulates Jonty’s 10 day journey within South Africa and the various activities undertaken by him to inspire Indian travelers to visit South Africa.

·         Earlier in 2012, South African Tourism undertook their 8th Annual Roadshow in 5 Indian cities: Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Pune. More than 1000 Indian trade partners participated in the roadshow across the five cities. The roadshow this year witnessed 135 suppliers representing 62 companies with variety of products/services.

In the pipeline:
·         On June 20, 2012, South African Tourism will be launching a book on Vegeterian, Vegan and Jain Dining in South Africa. Targeted at the Indian tourist who has special food requirements, the book will be guide to them to try out their favourite food at a restaurant in South Africa
·         In September 2012, South African Tourism, India, will undertake its second Annual Trade Roadshow across 4 cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata



No comments: