Tessa Reed speaks to members of the trade to find out how best to sell to the Latin American market.

Increased awareness of destination South Africa is needed in Latin America. Julia Louw GM at Kobo Safaris says the company has picked up from its clients that they

are not necessarily aware that the destination is safe and offers world-class services and experiences, from culinary to cultural. “The South African culture or ethos is also very similar to the Brazilian culture, which is good to get across to the end client,” she says.

Likewise, Velma Corcoran, Executive Marketing Manager at Cape Town Tourism says, according to the sources Cape Town Tourism spoke to at the ABAV trade show this year, knowledge of the destination was superficial and operators stuck to the tried and tested. “We need to update our information – provide videos and translated information,” she says.

According to Corcoran more needs to be done to create awareness of SA’s offering. “Creating awareness of food and wine as a travel theme, adventure and family holidays, shopping and more would generate a broader view of SA as a destination,” she says. Adriano Lucchesi, MD of Brazil-based Atlantic Connection Travel, also shares this sentiment. He says SA is no longer a new destination in the Latin American market and therefore more needs to be done to entice repeat visitors. He adds that South Africa is seen as a high-end destination, when actually the destination offers something for all budgets and more needs to be done to change this perception.

Increased consumer awareness is also needed in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, says Allan Falck, Executive Director and co-owner of Argentina-based Sundance Spirit. He adds that South Africa as a holiday destination is extremely low on the radar in these markets. “Where there is very limited on-going destination awareness – save for rugby – this ultimately equals fewer and fewer visitor arrivals,” he says.

Falck also points out that while both Brazil and Argentina are enduring economic instability and the depreciating value of their currencies, the ‘value-for-money’ for visitors within South Africa is exceptional and this needs to be shown through advertising. This sentiment is echoed by Louw and Legacy Global Sales Agent in South America, Alex Miller, who point out that clients are not necessarily aware that SA is affordable.

“SA Tourism needs to also portray South African night life, diverse culture, art scene, fashion, special events (such as concerts and big parties) and, of course, affordability of great food and wine. It is very expensive to enjoy such dining experiences in São Paulo, Buenos Aires or Lima,” says Miller.

Alessandra Allemann, Sales & Marketing Director at Welcome Tourism Services, suggests that because South Americans are price-conscious travellers, offering BRICS rates would help motivate the market to choose South Africa over other travel destinations. “South Africa already offers special rates to India and China and I think we should also include Brazil,” she says.

Altamiro Medici, SAA Country Manager for Brazil, points out that the Latin American trade is likely to book travel through the trade. “Unlike other destinations where self-booking is more common, South Africa usually requires consultation and advice from experienced travel agents.” He adds that SAA educates travel agents with workshops and in trade shows to increase the travel agent’s comfort level in offering South Africa as a destination.

Miller agrees that the trade is crucial in this market. “Only very few upmarket travel agencies that go to international trade shows will book Southern Africa direct,” she says. “Most of them still buy from outbound tour operators that specialise in ‘exotic destinations’.” Peter-John Mitrovich, CEO of Grosvenor Tours, also highlights the need to work with the trade. “The best thing is to continue to work with suppliers and agree on special rates for yield periods, then try to push travel into those valley periods, or at least to keep our destination attractive and top of mind. It will take time to recover.”

Falck believes there has traditionally been a focus on Brazil. He points out that the Discover South Africa workshop is now solely held in São Paulo. “Admittedly, SAA has invited some of the Argentine wholesalers to attend in São Paulo at SAA’s cost, however, given the chasm of differences between the Brazilian and Argentine traveller markets, that does not replace Buenos Aires as a venue,” he says.

Likewise, Miller argues that, although some countries do not have huge volume they can produce very lucrative VIP FITs and small groups. “We have seen wealthy families of over 30 members chartering flights and staying at five-star hotels and lodges. They spent more than an incentive group and demand a lot less work. But very few specialists will be trusted with these files.” Falck also suggests that when a market such as Brazil experiences a downturn, a collection of smaller markets can make up the shortfall.

According to Miller, media trips, especially TV shows would help market the destination. She suggests golf and rugby transmissions that feature the surroundings as well as food and wine shows highlighting the latest trends. “Hosting celebrities and a reporter is also a great way to promote a glamorous holiday,” she adds.

Miller and Falck both highlight the need for DMCs to speak the language of their clients. Says Miller: “Although most South American tour operators are fluent in English, especially in Argentina and Brazil, they will favour DMCs that speak their language and really understand their culture.” She adds that for Chile, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, having tour consultants that are fluent in Spanish and will answer emergency calls 24/7 is a real must if a company wants to get into the South American market and build long-term partnerships.

Rina Cilliers, GM Sales, Marketing & Reservations at Legend Lodges suggests that Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking tour guides and rangers or staff at products is key for this market, as does Falck. “While younger age groups have a wider exposure to English, the older age groups, 50s upwards, have far less likelihood of understanding or being comfortable speaking English,” says Falck. “Therefore, those South African DMCs that have Spanish-guided set departures are way ahead of those that don’t.”

According to Falck, the lack of easy air access to SA from Argentina after SAA scrapped its direct flight has had a negative

impact on the market. “One of these deterring factors is the total travel time to get to Johannesburg,” he says, adding that this can be a total of 16 to 19 hours, compared with the 10 hours of the direct flight. Gustavo Palermo of Argentina-based Crown Travel also says the loss of the direct flight has negatively impacted travel. “The connection in São Paulo is not very good for us, sometimes we have to wait five hours or six hours,” he says. According to him, the family segment was hurt the most as parents do not want to spend a lot of time at the airport with small children.