Tourism industry stakeholders are calling for a reassessment of South Africa’s value proposition, arguing that a clearer brand identity and deeper market understanding are essential for growth.

Speaking during a recent SATSA webinar on geographical spread, Monika Iuel, Chief Tourism Officer of Wesgro, said a new brand promise – coupled with better understanding of South Africa’s identity as a destination, its target market and what those people really want – will benefit the sector.

What is SA selling?

“Arguably the easiest time to sell the destination was in the five- or six-year period after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was clear to the world who we were as people and we were believed when we said South Africa’s point of difference is our people,” Iuel said.

“Unfortunately, we have now moved very far from that and there is no clear value proposition for the destination nationally. I don’t think we’ve spent enough time being intentional about who we want to be and what we want to stand for,” she added.

She pointed to Thailand, which is currently in the spotlight as the destination featured in season three of The White Lotus. She said: “As a consumer, I have this very clear image of what Thailand is and I have an understanding that no matter where in Thailand I go, that is what I am going to get.” In the South African context, this means that “it doesn’t matter if you’re in Clarens or if you’re in Constantia, the feeling is going to be the same.”

Johan Groenewald, MD of Royal African Discoveries, highlighted a disconnect between want the industry wants to sell and what travellers actually want. “Many DMOs and governments work on a supply-driven model saying ‘This is what we want to sell so this is where you need to go’. They are not going into a market and analysing and seeing how the market works, what appeals to them, what other destinations are doing and adjusting their marketing message to appeal to that market.”

Iuel said: “We need to meet the traveller where the traveller is. It’s not about selling what’s on the shelf. It’s about making sure that our destination responds to what the market is asking for and I don’t think we have a clear enough picture of what that is.”

Who is South Africa selling to?

“Once you’ve got a clear brand and that clear value proposition for the destination, and you know which travellers you’re targeting from which markets, then develop the destination in a way that actually responds to that rather than the other way around,” Iuel said.

David Frost, CEO of SATSA, said: “I would like to see us, from a national perspective, look at doing something different and marketing to different segments. The flow into the country is not monolithic.”

As an example, Frost highlighted adventure tourism, which typically takes place outside of the main centres and appeals to a “younger, more intrepid millennial market”. He said New Zealand has been able to build a brand as the adventure capital of the world with just five key activities. “We have 101 activities but we need a concerted marketing effort,” he said.

Natalia Rosa, CEO of Big Ambitions, said markets are getting “younger and younger”, which needs to be taken into account.

“We have this amazing repeater rate but younger markets, from a behavioural perspective, are not the kind of people who are going to be repeaters. Backing that horse would be a mistake.”

Commenting on consumer trends, Iuel said these tend to skew towards the global North or West, taking into account North American, European and British travellers – many of whom are looking for a “transformative experience”.

She said the country should capitalise on its “pure, unfiltered natural wonder that we have in spades in this country” rather than just selling safaris, which limits its potential.

“We’re lucky in the Western Cape. We are one of the most biodiverse places on the planet but we don’t talk about that enough. We don’t talk about how rare it is to drive for kilometre after kilometre and not see another human being. I would really upsell how South Africa is one of those places where you can still go back to experiencing the planet as if you are the only one on it,” she said.

For new markets like China, she said there is an opportunity to “push the reset button” but this needs to be done in a new way.

“We have an opportunity now to package the destination so it’s not the old Chinese itinerary of Jo’burg, Sun City and Cape Town from back in the day. There is an opportunity for us to start telling the story of South Africa.”