Tourism industry offers 2.5 million discount vouchers

As from 1 September, South Africans wanting to travel and explore Mzansi can redeem the vouchers that include special offers and significant savings for thirty different travel leisure activities and 51 accommodation establishments across the country.

Discounts range from 65% off the usual price for a stay in a four-star hotel in Gauteng, to a saving of R400 off the price of a boat-based whale watching adventure in the Western Cape. Other offers include 40% off a two hour Kayak and Lilo adventure on the Storms River in Tsitsikamma. Or, if viewing the Big Five is for you, then for 5% off, the entire family can experience a truly unique experience on a walking safari in the Kruger National Park.

Domestic tourism is critical

"Domestic tourism contributed R20.3 billion and 76% of our country's total tourism volume in 2011, so it's critical that we get South Africans travelling and encourage them to be tourists in their own country. South Africa is a world-class tourist destination and locals have a variety of fun, affordable and accessible experiences available to them on their doorstep. We want to thank the South African tourism trade for offering these wonderful discounts, which will go a long way to making travelling Mzansi even more affordable for all South Africans," says Thulani Nzima, South African Tourism's CEO. As from 1 September, the vouchers were made available to the public on South African Tourism's Vaya Mzansi Facebook page, www.facebook.com/vayamzansi.

South African Tourism continually works on supporting the trade to effectively package affordable deals for South Africans to travel their own country, regularly presenting market insights to the local tourism sector in special trade workshops. These insights are gained through research of what South Africans want from their travelling experiences in the country, where and how they consume their travel information and how the South African tourist market is segmented.

Learn about destinations with FUNDI

The workshops educate the local travel trade on packaging travel deals for South Africans and are facilitated and attended by various tourism stakeholders, such as the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), provincial tourism authorities, travel agents, trade product and local tourism offices.

FUNDI is South African Tourism's long-standing education programme that trade may utilise to learn about destinations in South Africa and become an expert in selling South African holidays to both foreign and domestic tourists. World Tourism Day celebrations take place on 27 September 2012 in the Eastern Cape, with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation's theme this year 'Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development'.