SA Tourism is lobbying for Korean Air to fly to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and then on to Cape Town International Airport, to encourage growth in tourist arrivals from South Korea to SA, says Bradley Brouwer, Regional Manager: Asia Pacific, SAT.

At a recent SAT Asia Seminar in Cape Town, Brouwer explained that inbound travel from this Asian market to SA had rocketed during the first seven months of last year but then started to decline. He attributed this partly to Korean Air’s decision in November to fly to Kenya as its African destination – a flight that is understood to be running at only 16% capacity. African travel operators in South Korea are also obliged to sell Kenya ahead of SA.

Brouwer said Koreans were very keen to travel to SA. They travel in small and large groups, and it is also a huge honeymoon market. He urged trade to be sensitive to Asian markets’ cultures when targeting them. “Whenever you have Koreans or Japanese staying at your hotel, fly their flags at your establishment. People in Asia are very, very proud.”

More tips are that Asian travellers love SA’s seafood but need to eat Asian every two to three days. Due to the long flights, they also tend to visit more than one Southern African country during a trip.