SA Tourism has called on South Africa’s travel trade to add much more detail when drawing up itineraries for Japanese tourists, and to equip their Japanese counterparts with fresh itineraries they can sell with ease and confidence.
At a recent seminar in Stellenbosch, Bradley Brouwer, President: Asia Pacific, SA Tourism, said SA already offered a distinctive combination of scenic beauty, flowers, wildlife, adventure, warm hospitality and diverse, vibrant people. He urged the trade to reflect these in their itineraries with more detail.
“You should see the itineraries other countries are offering. We’re naked in our itineraries and selling ourselves short, as we’re offering these already but don’t include it in the itineraries on offer. We must compete and make sure there’s meat to the bone.” For example, Brouwer said itineraries should include descriptions, like: “A warm blanket and hot-water bottle will await you at the start of your early-morning game drive”.
According to Brouwer the Japanese perceive SA “as an ultra-long-haul destination with a long travel time, indirect flights and expensive airfares”. He added that, as the Japanese trade required support in developing new itineraries and didn’t necessarily share the ambition to grow arrivals to SA, SA trade need to work closely with them to design fresh ones.
When selecting a destination, the Japanese seek authenticity, safety and beautiful scenery, and they want to feel emotionally connected to their destination. In 2014, 37.2% of the 27 504 Japanese arrivals to SA were leisure tourists, with 39.2% being first-time visitors. While they enjoy SA’s scenic beauty and masses of flowers such as the jacarandas and Namaqualand wildflowers, and experience the people as incredibly friendly, they remain cautious when it comes to safety and security.
Brouwer asked the trade not to make any last-minute changes to itineraries. “The Japanese aren’t very demanding, but what you promised them you simply must deliver. They’re extremely methodological and disciplined; there’s no room for error. Should you need to change an itinerary, do so long before the time and communicate it clearly.”
Tips on how to make Japanese tourists feel welcome include: Introduce yourself when meeting them, give your business card and get to know them as they are generally shy; make a point of remembering names and add “san” after their surnames; and provide conversion adapters in their rooms.
