South Africa has the potential to benefit from the growing adventure tourism market but more needs to be done to market the country as an adventure destination. Tessa Reed reports.

The potential of adventure tourism in South Africa is as yet untapped, especially in light of the country’s diverse landscape and culture, says Chris Anagnostellis, Chief Operations Officer at An African Anthology. “More and more we are hearing the buzz words ‘adventure tourism’ but I strongly believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.” Likewise, Andre du Toit, Director at SATIB Insurance Brokers, refers to the sector as a “sleeping giant”.

Johan Radcliffe, MD of Dirty Boots, says at present we are just seeing the beginnings of a giant new sector in international and domestic travel around the world. “Very few trips in the future will not include some kind of activity or adventure,” he says. According to Radcliffe, the industry is picking up on the trend and many companies are changing their product range to include some kind of adventure that suits their clientele. “Most marketing strategies are also being revised to include some kind of adventure angle.”

According to Charmaine Beukes, co-owner of White Shark Projects, the growth in adventure tourism is being driven by travellers’ desire for experience-based holidays. “They want to be partakers rather than observers,” she says. “Tourists are increasingly looking for authentic experiences, interactions with local communities and to connect to the heart and core of the places they visit.”

Anagnostellis also argues that South Africa’s adventure offering is unique. “In our winter months you can go skiing or hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains or visit one of our fantastic game reserves and a day later you can be scuba diving in the warm Indian Ocean,” he says.

Satsa CEO, David Frost, points out that New Zealand has put itself on the map for adventure tourism, and argues that South Africa has more to offer as an adventure tourism destination.

SA needs to market itself better as an adventure tourism destination, says Frost. At the upcoming Satsa conference there will be a session focusing on how to market SA better for special interest travel, including adventure tourism and golf.

Anagnostellis suggests that individual adventure products could benefit from a joint and co-ordinated marketing effort by all role players. He suggests the formation of body that deals specifically with adventure tourism. “With all parties involved, the opportunity may well exist to faster unlock this emerging global market segment.” Du Toit also suggests an association or professional body that speaks to this sector and market.

The industry should also broaden the scope of products marketed as adventure, says Anagnostellis. “The perception exists, in my view, that adventure tourism focuses on adrenalin-related activities but this should not be the case.” He adds that there are many aspects to an adventurous itinerary and the broad sector can cater for all market segments, from backpackers to affluent travellers.

Beukes suggests that SA must emphasise the experience it offers. “The message to the world should be, come and experience SA. Fancy hotels and beautiful resorts can be found all over the world, but the unique pool of experiences we have on offer cannot.”

Self-regulation

Satsa has started laying the foundations for self-regulation in the adventure tourism industry, and part of its research found that there are at least 100 distinct adventure tourism products on offer in the country. Radcliffe says regulation will give multinational travel companies and DMCs more confidence to take the country’s adventure product to the market.

Du Toit also points out that funding is required to support further development about self-regulation. He suggests that South Africa is also a leader in terms of operational practice. “Many of our operators have been integral in setting up best operating practice for their sectors that is equal to, or ahead of, global standards and the support services in insurance and incident management are world class,” he says. However, he also points out that certain sectors have lots of work to do.

A winning sector

In addition to the growing demand, Frost emphasises the benefits of adventure tourism for promoting geographical spread. He says because many adventure activities are outside cities, the sector has the added benefit of creating jobs in rural areas.

Operators also point out that the sector has the potential to drive transformation. “A lot of adventure guides who are being trained currently, are from previously disadvantaged groups and this is certainly happening more aggressively in rural areas where many adventure operations are based,” says Radcliffe. “It would be from these ranks (guides) that the future adventure operator owners will be born.  Almost all current adventure companies’ owners started off as guides.”

To better drive transformation, Anagnostellis and Du Toit suggest mentorship programmes. “Naturally, further training, compliance with basic regulations and mentorship in business are required,” says Du Toit. Beukes also believes transformation starts with upskilling people and mentorship. “In this segment most businesses have unique training and skills needs, and all responsible activity providers would have invested largely in upskilling their staff.” She also points out that the tourism industry is largely owned and managed by entrepreneurs. “In order to grow this industry, we need to cultivate young entrepreneurs.”