Some 133,000 people will travel from Australasia to South Africa this year, including a group of 52 Travel Agents who were hosted by South African Tourism on a recent Mega-Famil.
Made up of 50 Australian Agents and two from New Zealand, the bumper trip was the result of a fruitful partnership between South African Tourism, South African Airways and Flight Centre.
Agents were given an attractive incentive: those who sold the most SAA flight tickets so South Africa in September and October last year earned a spot. From there, they went on to complete the SA Specialist training course, equipping them with the knowledge to sell South Africa as a destination.
Six groups of Australasian Flight Centre travel agents enjoyed six different week-long itineraries showcasing an array of attractions across the length and breadth of the country.
“Through initiatives such as these familiarisation trips, we hope to make further inroads into achieving our 5-in-5 goal of attracting five million more tourists by 2021.”
Sthembiso Dlamini, South African Tourism Chief Operating Officer
“The 52 Australasian Agents were blown away by South Africa’s vast array of experiences as well as by our renowned hospitality, and returned home charged with fresh inspiration to sell our country as a multifaceted and value-for-money holiday destination.”
The itineraries were carefully tailored to showcase the country’s untouched wildlife, buzzing city lifestyle, cultural richness, sun-soaked coastlines, breathtaking scenery, adventure offerings and its welcoming people.
Each group of Agents travelled to between two and four provinces, including the country’s less-frequented areas, to encourage the geographic spread of tourism.
Furthermore, in this, the year marking the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, the Agents had the opportunity to walk in Madiba’s footsteps, visiting some of the sites around South Africa where the global icon left his indelible mark.
- READ: Contiki to enter Africa’s wild East & South
- READ: ‘Don’t be afraid to experiment’ says Bench Africa
- READ: Travel Agent making big bucks from Africa