During Indaba 2012 South African Tourism's global product team will host a series of speed marketing sessions enabling 25 product owners in each of the adventure, responsible tourism, and culture and heritage categories, to showcase their offerings to more than 200 interested buyers.
"Our research tells us that the global traveller is looking for more variety in their travel experience, something that South Africa is certainly not lacking. However, with a busy Indaba schedule and more than 2 000 exhibitors to see, it is not always easy for buyers to track down the best of what South Africa has to offer. The themes have been chosen based on solid consumer research in key markets," says chief marketing officer Roshene Singh.
"To make it easier we have identified three areas at this year's Indaba where South Africa really sets itself apart - adventure, responsible tourism and culture and heritage. We have set up speed marketing sessions to give buyers the chance to get to know the people behind South Africa's tourism industry and be introduced to some of the products that can make a trip to South Africa truly extraordinary," explains Singh.
Named the Shongololo Sessions, they provide the perfect opportunity for partnerships to begin and for working relationships to form. Speakers will each be given five minutes to address more than 200 buyers about the journey their business has taken, its unique components that make it distinctive and how these will add value to packages and itineraries.
Each session will begin with a short overview by an industry expert, responsible tourism by Fair Trade in Tourism's Katarina Mancama (12 May), adventure by Dirty Boots' Johan Radcliff (13 May), and a special not to be missed session on culture and heritage by South African musical legend Johhny Clegg (14 May).
