SA Tourism’s office in Germany will launch a campaign next month to position SA as a value-for-money destination.

SA Tourism Country Manager in Germany, Theresa Bay-Müller, says the campaign will see bigFM Radio Presenter, Daniel Storb, travel to South Africa in April, where he will spend a week. Each day, he will be given a budget of €50 (R835) to spend on activities. The campaign, under the slogan ‘Der Preis ist heiß’, or ‘The price is hot’, is designed to highlight that South Africa offers a range of experiences that offer good value for money.

Bay-Müller says the campaign will last six months. Following Storb’s visit, content will be created around his experiences and then disseminated to consumers and the trade. The trade will also be equipped with a toolkit, messaging and imaging that they can use to help them sell South Africa.

According to SA Tourism Acting CEO, Sthembiso Dlamini, the messaging of the campaign – that South Africa is a value-for-money destination – will be taken to three other key markets too, namely: the UK, US and China. She says because all the markets are so unique, new campaigns will be developed in each one but with the same key message. Dlamini says it is important to capitalise on the weakened rand and adds that SA is a recovering brand after the damage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and a PR campaign is needed to help recover it.

According to Dlamini, because South Africa is perceived as an expensive destination, it is important to highlight the value for money the destination offers. She adds that, unfortunately, the airlift is a challenge because flights are expensive. However, Bay-Müller points out that the campaign in Germany will also leverage off a partnership with SAA, which is currently offering direct flights to SA from Frankfurt for €599 (R9 997) including taxes.

Tourism Update attended ITB in Berlin, Germany, as a guest of South African Tourism.