NEWS

Sindile Xulu (SA Tourism, Head of Strategic Projects) and Dr Alexander Kotouc (BMW, Head Of Experiential Marketing).

Recapturing key source markets for tourism sector recovery

South African Tourism (SA Tourism) is making bold strides to reignite interest from key source markets, by harnessing the destination’s allure as an attractive, captivating leisure and business events destination. This is part of the concerted efforts towards accelerating the sector-wide recovery.

The South African tourism sector was devastated by the impact of Covid-19, and now South Africa is aggressively driving the implementation of the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan (TSRP).

As the country continues with its mandate to grow tourist arrival numbers and contribute to inclusive economic growth, driving international marketing initiatives while focusing on the domestic market in order to fast-track the recovery plan remains crucial.

Alongside this drive for recovery, SA Tourism is strengthening efforts to ensure barriers that might deter would-be travellers to explore South Africa, are managed and mitigated. The tourism sector, in collaboration with all the key role players, has been hard at work to put measures in place to ensure barriers like visa approvals, safety and security, and direct airlift into South Africa are a priority.

Furthermore, the TSRP outlines the importance of forming targeted and strategic partnerships between the government and the private sector as a tool for the effective implementation of recovery initiatives.

As such, a dynamic collaboration between SA Tourism and the iconic car manufacturer, BMW is set to supercharge the country’s efforts towards the implementation of the TSRP, while gaining access to aggregated audiences through sport and golf in particular.

This collaboration brings together SA Tourism and BMW for the prestigious BMW International Open taking place in June 2023 in Munich Germany and BMW Golf Cup World Finals in March 2024, to be hosted at one of South Africa’s most prestigious golfing destinations, The Fancourt Luxury Golf Estate.

With over 450 million enthusiasts around the globe, golf’s appeal is undeniable, and South Africa stands as a premier golfing destination. The aim of the collaboration with BMW AG for the two sporting events is to gain access to this highly premium, influential set of golfing fans.

This will give SA Tourism access to a global audience, especially in key source markets but also stimulate domestic golf tourism. These two upcoming events will captivate viewers across the globe with a broadcast that spans an impressive 162 countries, encompassing a total of 2,040 hours of broadcasting time and boasting a potential household reach of 683.6 million. (Source: BMW Golf Sports)

Sport serves as a magnificent showcase for South Africa's unique offerings. Hosting the BMW Golf World Cup is a ‘not to be missed’ opportunity for a country that is home to some of the world's most exceptional golfing experiences and impeccably maintained courses.

These include the Fancourt luxury golf estate in the heart of the Garden Route — a world class facility that previously hosted prestigious global events like the President’s Cup in 2003. Some of the country’s prestigious golf courses include courses designed by a number of top global golfing names including the renowned South African golfer, Gary Player.

“At South African Tourism, our bid to ensure a full tourism recovery has necessitated that we apply step change strategies in an effort to showcase South Africa as a safe, capable and premier destination for business and leisure travellers. Capitalising on strategies that give access to aggregated audiences, we can showcase our exceptional golf offerings. Our goal is to entice and welcome golf enthusiasts from around the globe to discover and immerse themselves in South Africa’s exceptional golf landscape,” said Sindile Xulu, acting regional general manager South Africa/head of strategic projects.

“South Africa and BMW have a long-lasting history, since the founding of BMW South Africa in 1973. The BMW Group Rosslyn Plant was the first production facility outside Germany, and we are very glad to strengthen this bond with the partnership between South African Tourism and BMW in the area of golf,” said Dr Alexander Kotouc, head of experiental marketing BMW Group. “The BMW Golf Cup World Final at Fancourt Luxury Golf Estate in George next year will once again present a once-in-a-lifetime experience to all participants from all over the world.”

South Africa is a titan of the sports world, having hosted the first-ever FIFA World Cup, in 2010, to be held on African soil and also boasting three Rugby World Cup titles. This year, the nation has already welcomed the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup in February 2023, and the upcoming Netball World Cup in July 2023. These events will further propel South Africa’s status as a top-tier sporting events destination.