Creating heartfelt connections with tourists rests on the optimal functioning of the tourism value chain.

The work of South African Tourism is intrinsically linked to the enjoyment that a tourist seeks and hopes to experience when thinking of or planning a holiday.

Even though the heartfelt connection is invoked when a tourist comes into direct contact with our destination and its people, the foundation to necessitate that is laid way in advance. In order to position South Africa as a leisure and business events destination, an awareness needs to be created.

Our people here and abroad actively and consciously create awareness by pushing images and messaging on global media platforms. We have other stakeholders, such as sport associations creating awareness by hosting sporting events, or political/social stories receiving massive global media attention also create awareness of a destination. 

The moment awareness is created, we leverage it to instil positivity and connectivity through the provision of relevant information, hosting familiarity trips and heavily driving marketing initiatives and campaigns.

The sustenance of awareness and positivity is through laying the groundwork for our marketing initiatives, both locally and globally, to take root and grow in the minds and hearts of potential tourists.  This is the beginning of the tourism value chain, where the dream of the tourist to travel into our destination enters the ecosystem that is meant to turn it into a unique and magical experience.

The tourism value chain model is built on the premise that every stakeholder holds a collection of activities that create, market, support and deliver on the brand promise that South Africa is an unforgettable destination. Therefore the functioning or non-functioning of any component of the value chain could either make or break a tourist’s experience.

Once the tourist becomes aware of and interested in the destination, they begin to seek more information to whet their appetite. South African Tourism has to ensure that through its country offices, communication platforms and campaigns, that they provide all the necessary, exciting and comprehensive information. This is to ensure that interest is heightened and conversion takes place where the tourist is ready to speak to a tour operator or association about visiting South Africa.

The involvement of South African Tourism does not end once the tourist starts discussions with tour operators. It is the chain that links the various stakeholders to ensure that the quality experience of tourists stays top of mind at every step. It partners with the various stakeholders to ensure that the interest of the tourist is known and upheld.

This includes walking the journey with all stakeholders in the value chain: tour operators and associations through the online Fundi courses; Department of Home Affairs for favourable immigration laws and efficient visa processing; partnering with airlines to improve airlift and ease of access; the improvement of visitor experience at ports of entry; improved visitor experience at immigration; legitimate, pricing, and reliability of transport and logistics companies; improvement of the visitor experience and universal accessibility at hotels and conference centres, quality service and pricing at restaurant and product offerings; and a responsible, contextualised reporting by media, that will ultimately feed into maintaining brand awareness and positivity. All these activities will ensure not only that a tourist has a quality and inspired experience but that they visit again.

The journey to fulfilling the needs of a tourist takes every stakeholder to play their part. We feed into each other.

I am very excited to embark on a journey with you of sharing on a monthly basis on this platform the work that we do. On how we can all keep the value chain operating optimally through collaboration. I am hopeful that it will go a long way in consolidating and strengthening our relationship as we engage and innovatively unlock barriers to tourism growth.