South Africa eyes 1 lakh tourists from India in 2024

Mumbai: South African Tourism Board on Friday said it is expecting to welcome 1 lakh tourists from India this year, breaching the pre-COVID level.

It is focusing on travellers from tier II cities to tap the huge potential in the smaller cities.

"We hosted over 79,000 Indian travellers in 2023, which is 82 per cent of the pre-Covid levels. In 2019, 95,000 Indian visitors travelled to South Africa, and this year, we are expecting the footfalls from India to cross 1,00,000 tourists.

"We are more focused on attracting travellers from tier II cities in India, which is very critical for our growth," South African Tourism Hub Head - Middle East, India and Southeast Asia - Neliswa Nkani told PTI.

There is a huge potential in the tier II cities in India, and that is where the South African Tourism Board needs to invest and make sure to create a demand and offer something exciting, she added.

Without disclosing the amount, she said South African Tourism has a huge budget to showcase the country through outdoor advertising, digital media, trade engagements, roadshows, and corporate engagements, among others.

She was speaking on the sidelines of the concluding event of South African Tourism's 20th Annual India Roadshow in Mumbai, which kickstarted in Jaipur, followed by Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru.

Nkani further stated that India is the number six source market for South Africa in terms of footfalls, while the UK, Germany, the US, the Netherlands and France are ranked among the top five.

"All the top five source markets are visa-free and have direct connectivity, whereas with India, there are no direct flights, and also it is not visa-free," she noted.

In terms of spending, she said Indians are among the top five after Europe, the US, Australia and Africa.

"We see Indians spending on a whole lot of experiences, and we have products that cater to all age groups and segments. We are creating new products, and along with the existing ones we offer exciting holiday experiences for everyone," she added.

When asked about the focus segments, she said South Africa is mainly looking to attract corporates for meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE), High Networth Individuals (HNIs) in tier II cities, millennials, women travellers and those interested in sporting events.

"We are looking at tourists to spend more days in South Africa and we want to reach out to more regions in India to showcase the southernmost country on the African continent as an attractive destination," she added.