The Middle East is recovering strongly as a key source market, with promising signs of future growth.
The latest numbers from the Middle East indicate a strong recovery in tourism. In December 2022 there was a significant increase of 223.1% compared with the previous year, with a total of 40 628 arrivals.
Israel was the most significant source market, with 17 427 visitors, followed by Saudi Arabia with 11 464 and the United Arab Emirates with 3 100.
South African Tourism is leveraging this week’s Arabian Travel Market – held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 1-4 – as a platform to strengthen the country’s presence and build on its appeal as a tourism destination.
Zinhle Nzama, Acting Chief Convention Bureau Officer at South African Tourism, said South Africa’s presence at the Arabian Tourism Market “marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s journey towards economic revival and tourism rebound”.
She said it was critical for SA Tourism to return to ATM as last year’s event was a huge success for the exhibitors that attended, and ultimately a big win for South Africa’s tourism sector. “Last year, the South African delegation came back with over 37 leads, most of which were converted into business,” Nzama highlighted.
As part of ATM last year, South African Tourism entered into an MoU with Emirates Airline, which has, amongst others, seen the airline flying 49 weekly flights into South Africa. These numbers are at pre-pandemic levels and signify how South African Tourism continues to leverage these international trade shows.
This year, South African Tourism led 19 exhibitors to ATM, including five SMMEs.
“Our exhibitors are carefully selected to ensure that they specifically meet the needs and preferences of the Middle Eastern travellers looking to come and explore South Africa,” added Nzama.
According to her, international travel and tourism trade shows provided an opportunity for South African tourism enterprises of varying sizes to strike impactful, lasting partnerships and even ink fruitful collaboration contracts.
“We are committed to diligently executing our strategies to achieve the ambitious targets we have set ourselves, including 21 million arrivals by 2030 as per the National Development Plan’s injunction.”
In 2022, tourism contributed 3.7% to South Africa’s GDP, surpassing the agricultural, utilities, and construction sectors.
Tourism also plays a vital role in providing sustainable employment opportunities. As per the 2021 employment statistics, the travel and tourism sector in South Africa employed nearly 1.08 million people.
