The intent and commitment are there for South African Tourism to get it right and, by fostering even stronger collaborative ties with the industry, the abundant opportunities to grow tourism in the country can be successfully leveraged for the benefit of all.
This was the key message from Nombulelo Guliwe , CEO of South African Tourism, speaking at the 2024 SATSA conference at the Arabella Hotel Golf and Spa in Kleinmond, Western Cape, earlier this month.
In the spirit of the This is Us conference theme focused on storytelling, Guliwe discarded her prepared speech and, as SATSA CEO David Frost observed, spoke from the heart. She acknowledged that South Africa, as a destination, is not competing on the global stage as it should.
We cannot continue to market South Africa the way we are currently doing it. We need to adapt to the changing needs of travellers and speak to them on their level.
And the only way we can do this is by working together. We know what the global opportunities are, we have mastered the art of identifying what is important for travellers within these opportunities and now we need to consider our part in the value chain and what we can collectively offer the traveller and highlight that.
