SA Tourism is focusing its marketing efforts on international business, leisure and events tourism, says ceo, Moeketsi Mosola.

In the business sector, the focus is on the meetings segment, with association meetings the primary focus and corporate meetings and incentive travel being secondary. He says association meetings are relatively immune to the current economic woes because of their regulatory requirements. They also offer opportunities for leisure travel, repeat business and pre- and post-meeting tours.

Exhibitions are not being targeted, given South Africa’s location and the strength that Europe has in this market.

Mosola says SAT’s business tourism strategy focuses on the following markets:

* Europe: UK, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark (meetings and incentives), and Sweden and Italy (incentives only)
* Asia: Australia (meetings) and Japan and India (both incentives only)
* Americas: Canada and the USA (meetings and incentives)
* Africa: East and West Africa and SADC states.