Question NW2946 to the Minister of Tourism

Reply:

a) What activities were included in the Global Tourism Brand Campaign in the period under review.

I have been informed by South African Tourism (SAT) that reinstating our brand after the COVID-19 global pandemic with the ‘Live Again’ campaign was critical in driving sustainable economic growth, raising awareness of South Africa as a tourism destination, and aiding efforts to reclaim our position in the global travel community.

The ‘Live Again’ global brand campaign, which was launched in February 2022 in responding to reigniting the global demand, which is one of the strategic interventions as part of the sectoral recovery plan, was rolled out in FY22/23.

SAT produced a global campaign AV that was seeded in key source markets through a global media buy. The overall objective of the campaign was to increase awareness and build positivity towards the destination. The media buy included the following key platforms:

CNN YouTube National Geographic

BBC Twitter/X Facebook

Search WeChat Programmatic

Premium Display Online Travel Agents

(b) (i) What positive gains have been experienced in implementing the Global Advocacy Programme.

The main objective of the Global Advocacy campaign is to garner a positive image of South Africa and its offering. Through various interactions and activations, South African Tourism has participated in platforms with individuals with influence driving and advancing a positive narrative about the country.

Examples of these are:

1. During Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) in Germany in early March 2023, both the Deputy Minister, Fish Mahlalela as well as Ambassador Stone Sizani spoke candidly about the initiatives and discussion in government around issues of safety and security. This gave the media covering the event an indication that the issue is being addressed at government level.
2. During Meetings Africa 2023, we also had a few leading influential business events voices positively advocate for South Africa as not only a capable business events host but also as a country that has an in-depth knowledge economy. In various activities through our hub teams, work has been done in advancing global advocacy initiatives including working with various embassies and missions.
3. During the State of the Nation address earlier this year, CNN’s Richard Quest visited the country and recorded a series of inserts in Cape Town.  He showcased the best of the region. As a leader in shaping business opinion, his recording of his show in South Africa and featuring several positive human-interest stories contributed in driving a positive narrative about South Africa. 
4. Other noteworthy areas where we have seen gains that can also be attributed to efforts of the Global Advocacy programme is around airlift. Over the last year, we have seen a number of airlines reintroducing direct routes to South Africa from various countries. This is surely a vote of confidence and trust in our destination.

(ii) What positive challenges have been experienced in implementing the Global Advocacy Programme.

The biggest challenge around Global Advocacy is still issues that affect the overall reputation of South Africa. These include reported cases of safety and security especially those affecting the tourists but those also affecting citizens. Tourists are also beginning to enquire about load shedding. Although the tourism industry continues to operate, tourism businesses experience disruptions and delays in operations.

Picking up learnings of the past few years of load shedding, some businesses have put measures in place to offset the effects of load shedding. Some have installed UPS units (Uninterrupted Power Supply units), or other back power supplies such as generators. Furthermore, load shedding may cause delays in traffic, due to traffic lights not working, when tourists are commuting to reach attractions around the country. Prolonged periods of load shedding such as Stage 6 may also lead to disruption of other tourism and related experiences.