South African Tourism is harnessing the power of social media influencers to effectively and affordably leverage the potential of the African market, which accounts for 74% of all inbound arrivals to the country.

Influencers and media from West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and the SADC recently visited the country, as part of SA Tourism’s global Mega Fam drive, which will see 840 participants flying in to experience and share what South Africa has to offer.

The African contingent visited Johannesburg, Pretoria and Qgeberha (Port Elizabeth), travelling alongside international hip hop superstar Sho Madjozi, an SA Tourism Ambassador.

“We market South Africa in 14 countries across these African regions, and they contribute to the bulk of our arrivals. SA Tourism runs hosted trips every year, but this year we wanted to do something different, showcasing the country’s hidden gems and using lifestyle, sporting events and social media as the hook,” said Evelyn Mahlaba, SA Tourism Regional Director for Africa.

“Most of the visitors from these markets are high-repeaters, so we need to keep them engaged in South Africa’s offering by showing them the lesser-visited destinations. With the limited resources we have, leveraging the reach of social media through these influencers is an effective way for us to spread the word about South Africa to thousands of followers around the world.”

Mahlaba said misperceptions still existed about the value of the African market, resulting in a lack of appropriately packaged tourism products. 

“We have limited products targeted specifically at this market, despite its immense value to our tourism sector. Some of the industry don’t see the African market as viable business, which is completely false. So we’re collaborating with them to create packages and pricing and deals.”

Mahlaba added that SA Tourism was looking beyond the sustainability of South African Airways to provide airlift to the continent.

“The sustainability of SAA is important, but in promoting tourism we look towards whoever is willing and capable of filling the gaps. Airlines such as CemAir, Airlink and FlySafair are stepping up well to serve the regional markets.”

In October, CemAir was granted new routes and additional frequencies to Livingstone, Accra, Nairobi, Pointe Noire, Brazzaville, Libreville, Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Entebbe. FlySafair also received approval to operate flights to 11 new destinations in southern and East Africa.