SA Tourism reconnects Chinese buyers with South African trade

Souce: 123RF

China is one of South Africa’s key source markets. This virtual tour aims to boost confidence and trust in South Africa as a tourism destination following the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic early last year.

This Virtual Road Show is a 100% online business-to-business matchmaking event that connects South African products owners with Chinese trade partners who package South African products and experiences to travellers in the market. It allows for one-on-one virtual meetings via video call and chat on any device.

"South Africa, like many other countries, is seeking ways to rebuild its tourism sector to contribute to the country’s economy. Over the last year, we have continued with our strategic goal of promoting the country as a leisure tourism and business events destination both domestically and internationally. As we continue with our focus, we believe a coordinated response and collaboration with our key trade partners are key and will contribute immensely in us achieving our goal," says South African Tourism acting CEO.

The China Virtual Tour and Virtual Fam are fully bilingual (English and Mandarin), and the translation services will also be available upon request – it will be scheduled daily between 3pm to 6pm China time (9 am and 12 pm South African time).

Exhibitor showcase

Alongside the virtual roadshow will be a virtual fam which will see South African exhibitors virtually showcasing their updated products to Chinese buyers. It will take place for an hour before the virtual roadshow.

"This engagement is very important for South Africa’s economy, not only because it places some of the South African tourism products and services at the forefront of the Chinese buyers, but also because the Chinese tourism industry is recovering, which is very encouraging. This makes for the perfect opportunity for us to market South Africa so that it is on top of mind for both business and leisure travellers,” says Mr. Mansoor Mohamed (Hub Head, Asia Pacific, South African Tourism).

Mansoor further said: "We know that our industry has suffered a great deal since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year. As a destination marketing organization marketing a tourism destination with rich and diverse landscapes, it is SA Tourism’s responsibility to create an enabling environment for our South African product owners to connect with Chinese partners that will help bring travellers to South Africa. This is all part of reigniting our tourism sector."

SA Tourism is aware of the difficulty the tourism industry is facing and has made the event free. The platform has a self-manage account feature for exhibitors to manage marketing content, see daily diary appointments with buyers, and conduct meetings in private chat rooms.

Registration is now open for the virtual opening ceremony – join by clicking on the following link to watch the live streaming from 13-17 September