Explore your own country and be the envy of the world

MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE OFFICE OF MR MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK,MINISTER OF TOURISM“Explore your own country and be the envy of the world”South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, today called on SouthAfricans to be tourists in their own country and to experience what millions ofinternational tourists are drawn to annually – the sheer beauty of their land, its richculture and heritage, and the warmth and hospitality of their fellow citizens.The Minister today in Cape Town launched the new Domestic Tourism Growth Strategy,which includes South African Tourism’s new domestic marketing campaign under thetagline “whatever you are looking for, it’s right here in South Africa”.Minister Van Schalkwyk said domestic tourism contributed 76% of South Africa’s totaltourism volume in 2011, and contributed R20 billion to the country’s economy, whichmade a substantial contribution to creating and sustaining much-needed jobs.“Here in South Africa, we have breathtakingly beautiful scenery, a treasure trove ofcultures to explore, and fascinating people to meet. We have wonderful cities, whichoffer some of the best urban leisure experiences in the world. We have variety anddiversity. We have outstanding and capable tourism infrastructure. The rest of the worldcomes to enjoy the offerings that are available to us on our doorstep. Our message toSouth Africans who seek world-class destinations to relax in, have an adventure in andto explore is that they will find what they are looking for ‘right here in South Africa’,” theMinister said.“We are determined to promote and enhance domestic tourism and implementstrategies to grow this sector, which is the very lifeblood of our tourism industry and oneof our key focus areas,” he added.The new Domestic Tourism Growth Strategy is in further response to the NationalTourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) announced last year, which has set clear targets interms of domestic and foreign arrivals and projected contributions to the country’s grossdomestic product (GDP). In terms of the NTSS, the Department aims to reach 54 milliondomestic trips by 2020 as well as to ensure that domestic tourism contributes 60% oftourism’s overall contribution to GDP.The Minister said the Domestic Tourism Growth Strategy was developed following anextensive consultative process, which took place over a period of eight months.

“The strategy aims to increase domestic tourism revenue, expand domestic tourismvolume, enhance efforts to address seasonality and equitable geographic spread ofdomestic travel, and entrench a culture of tourism among South Africans. It centres oninnovation, stakeholder participation, and the offering of authentic, affordableexperiences and packages that meet the needs of all potential local travellers,” MinisterVan Schalkwyk said.Announcing the new South African Tourism (SAT) domestic marketing campaign, theMinister says research conducted by SAT found that an emotional connection to travelplays a central role when consumers make their travel choices.“The central message, and key driver, of the new domestic tourism campaign is toinvest in yourself and your relationship with family, friends and loved ones, and takeadvantage of all the destinations South Africa offers. In South Africa, you are able toexperience one of the most beautiful, capable, friendly and desirable destinations in theworld – it’s right here.”The new campaign has widened its scope beyond the young and upcoming segment ofSouth Africa, which was the chief focus of SAT’s successful Sho’t Left campaign. It nowaddresses a wider range of target consumers either to stimulate the desire for travelamong groups who do not have a holidaying culture, or to encourage those who travelabroad to take their leisure trips in South Africa.The five key consumer segments that the campaign targets are as follows: Spontaneous budget explorers (Young people of all races who impulsively goaway for short breaks with friends, and who prefer activity-filled breaks overquiet weekends away) New-horizon families (Professionals older than 35, with or without families, whogo on holiday to reward themselves for hard work, and who take advantage ofspecial holiday and flight deals) High-life enthusiasts (Successful go-getters who travel to boost their socialstatus and seek out exceptional service and luxury experiences) Seasoned leisure travellers (People aged about 25 to 45 who have a travelculture, and who go on holiday regularly. They understand the value of memoryover commodity, and travel to relax and spend time with loved ones.) Well-to-do Mzansi families (People who travel to escape the city, stress and thepressures of daily life. They seek new and different locations to relax in, and theytake advantage of special deals and offers.)The new campaign, informed by the Domestic Tourism Growth Strategy, would extendbeyond traditional advertising, and would include events, deals and fun trips. This is acampaign that Minister Van Schalkwyk hopes will get South Africans talking and excitedabout leisure tourism, and will encourage more people to be ‘tourists in their owncountry’ – a country that is one of the most desirable destinations in the world.

“Domestic tourism is important not only to stimulate leisure travel at home, but also toattract more foreign tourist arrivals to our country. When we have a nation ofenthusiastic and passionate domestic leisure tourists, we gain a priceless bank ofrecommendations and ambassadors with which to attract more foreign tourists to SouthAfrica.”“Although there is good reason for optimism for the South African tourism industry, theeconomic climate remains tough and demands a new way of thinking and a newapproach to domestic tourism. We need a collective, robust approach by all in theindustry to grow domestic tourism and to sustain that growth. We need to build strongpartnerships for continued growth, for job creation, and for domestic tourism to grow itscontribution to the economy,” Minister Van Schalkwyk said.The new domestic tourism campaign roll-out will include a series of television, radio andoutdoor advertisements addressing the five key market segments with a focus on thecountry’s nine provinces, including special offers, stories about exciting things to do,and recommendations from South Africans about where to go, how to get there andwhat to look out for on the way. The new strategy will also see closer working relationswith trade, including the continuation of partnerships with airlines, agents and hotelgroups.The Minister said a total of 26,4 million domestic trips were taken in 2011 against 29,7million in 2010. However, the number of adult South Africans who travel domesticallygrew to 13,9 million – 3% more than the 13,5 million who took domestic trips in 2010. In2011, the average spend per domestic trip grew to R780 per trip (from an average ofR710 per trip in 2010). The Minister says, while trip numbers have declined, it isencouraging to note that more South Africans are travelling for leisure purposes.“The new Domestic Tourism Growth Strategy and the campaign have taken intoaccount that consumers are increasingly cautious about how they spend their money.They seek and demand exceptional value, and that is what the sector intends to offer,”the Minister concluded.EndsFor further information, contact:Ministry of Tourism

Melene RossouwTel: 021 465 7240/082 753 7107E-mail: mrossouw@tourism.gov.zaNational Department of TourismTrevor BloemE-mail: TBloem@tourism.gov.zaTel: 012 444 6000South African TourismJermaine CraigE-mail: Jermaine@southafrica.netTel: 083 201 0121