South Africa, Feb 18:
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.
