SA Tourism, Kulula showcase local travel

Delivering his speech at the launch of the joint venture between SA Tourism and Kulula.com on Tuesday, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the campaign would showcase the diverse tourism experiences South Africans have on their doorstep.

The five destinations the campaign will focus on are Cape Town, George, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Johannesburg.

“This joint venture is the first-of-its-kind and will see domestic travelers encouraged to discover and experience South Africa's diverse beauty, interesting places and unique personalities.

“It also highlights how easy and affordable it can be to access these experiences with Kulula's value offering of more than 300 flights each week among their 12 routes,” the minister said.

The value of domestic tourism

Since 2004, government has recognised the importance and contribution of the domestic market to the tourism economy.

“Our department has worked closely with South African Tourism to develop the Domestic Tourism Growth Strategy since the value of this market could not be overestimated,” he said.

Minister van Schalkwyk said apart from the importance of cultivating pride and extending the ownership of South African tourism into every community, focusing on domestic tourism also made great business sense.

“Our research has shown that the domestic tourism market is worth billions of Rands to the South African tourism economy,” he said.

Domestic travel increased by 2.6% in 2006 as 37 million domestic trips were undertaken.

About 42% of South African adult population traveled, but there were fewer domestic travellers in 2006, with only 12.1 million South African residents taking a trip in 2006 compared to 14.1 million in 2005, said Van Schalkwyk.

“Revenue from domestic tourism was approximately R16.5 billion, with travelers who visit friends and relatives generating two-thirds of all domestic tourism revenue,” he added.

Major destinations

The major beneficiaries of domestic tourism in 2006 were KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, with both provinces being the source and destination of the majority of domestic trips.

“Although domestic tourism contributed significantly to the tourism sector, there remains an untapped potential as it contributed only 27% of total tourism receipts in 2006,” said the minister.

He congratulated South African Tourism and Kulula.com for the significant investment in domestic tourism marketing and for making it possible for more South Africans to explore their own country.

“By standing together, fostering partnership in our efforts and encouraging all South Africans to take pride in our diverse year-round tourism products, South Africa will remain one of the most preferred tourism destinations for years to come, enjoyed by South Africans and international visitors alike,” said Van Schalkwyk.

Expanding African network

Last week, South African Airways (SAA), a member of the Star Alliance Network announced that they will continue to expand its African route network to new destinations while adding capacity on various routes.

Two additional flights per week to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were recently launched while one additional flight per week to Luanda, Angola, was introduced to the schedule.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews