Lost in the wild

South Africa has an enormous range of opportunities for travelers, whether you're looking for a rugged adventure, a food, and wine tour or a spiritual experience.

In the past few years, the country has raced to the top of many travelers must visit list. A destination filled with cool cities, stunning vistas and all famous African wildlife, the country really does have it all.   

With newer regions in the promotion like Stellenbosch, George, Simon’s Town, Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Port Elizabeth, and East London along with iconic cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, one can get good packages from the tourism board of South Africa.

You can also opt for different packages, which can offer holiday itinerary, where you are picked up and dropped off from your arrival point (airport, port etc.) in each destination that you visit, and then simply catch a taxi around the cities and make use of day tours in each area. Taxis are readily available within the cities.

In order to surpass its target of 100,000 Indian visitors in South Africa, the Country has begun its 2019 biggest travel trade initiative in India, -The16th edition of Annual Roadshow. This Roadshow aims to capitalise on strong potential consumer demand in India.

“Hotel chains, airlines, products, attractions, DMCs, and local tourism offices will offer a host of exciting updates, networking, and deal-making with Indian travel agents. This ensures that trade is well informed and equipped to sell South Africa as a tourist destination with a special emphasis on wildlife and adventure suited for all age groups,” said Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head, MEISEA, South African Tourism.  

For those who love adventures sports, the country is also offering various adventure activities including off-beat activities like Long Tom Toboggan rides, Fatbike Tours, Mountain Boarding and Walking Safaris along with popular activities like abseiling and paragliding.

The four cities Roadshow promises to offer travel agent in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Delhi a chance to interact with a variety of suppliers.

"The purpose of the Roadshow is to bring South African product to the market so that they get to understand the type of requirements Indian travelers are looking for," Neliswa added.

In 2018, there was a higher uptake in the demand for and travel to new and off-beat provinces like Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Free State.

While consolidating its position in wildlife, adventure, and cultural offerings, the destination will also target the niche wedding market, for which South African Tourism has seen an upswing in inquiries. In order to arrive at this, the destination is engaging aggressively to educate trade partners about the plethora of world-class facilities, distinctive attractions, unforgettable and value for money experiences available in South Africa.

“As India plays a key role in achieving our 5-in-5 target, which includes 4 million international visitors, we are now looking to double our marketing efforts and enhancing destination marketing support within the region. While we are already widely known for our wildlife offerings, the 5- point strategy for 2019 will ensure that we incorporate certain measures and leverage partnerships to position and cement ourselves as the Adventure Capital of the world, while building preference as a wedding destination for the India market.” Neliswa added.