This week’s top comment refers to Tourism Update’s article featuring CEO of SA Tourism, Sisa Ntshona’s comments on the demand for inbound travel to reopen in South Africa.

Owner of Centre Stage Travel, Colin Fryer, said the following:

“A little perspective. Inbound travel to southern Africa sat at two percent of worldwide in terms of travellers’ numbers. This was the flow during the full year of 2018/19. This was based on 'normal' growth of a well-marketed, well-supported and well-driven destination within a set of key markets where connectivity, VFR, business ties and well-developed leisure platforms had been set up over many, many years.

The ‘then’ – if you will. The now and future is not slightly different or a new take on business of yore but a gift of multi-level, vertical and horizontal divergent energies created through a matrix of much and many inputs. In essence, the way forward for southern African inbound tourism should be founded in one of our uttermost strengths combined with a business model of the highest traveller integrity.

What is the strength? Belief in our product, our people and our unique experience for each and every inbound visitor to return home with a newness of being not found elsewhere across this globe. Maybe we as a collective should be messaging our prime and key markets: “We really DO miss you and SO look forward to your return to what you expect but only once you are completely comfortable to return.”

There are too many imponderables in play within the second half of 2020 both political and economic to risk losing what we have built up over so many years. Two percent can move swiftly to alternative destinations and yet can grow exponentially if we respect the reality of this moment is managed with African respect.”

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