South African tourism businesses are being given a new route into three of Europe’s key source markets, with South African Tourism (SAT) opening applications for a series of consumer and trade engagements across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in January 2027.
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The programmes will connect local tourism products with travellers, tour operators and travel agents while using digital tools to help businesses prepare for the European market.
Three markets, two routes to travellers
The opportunities centre on two SAT-led platforms: The Getaway by Vakantiebeurs 2027 in the Netherlands and a series of Market Access Trade Engagements across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The Vakantiebeurs programme will give participating South African businesses the opportunity to engage directly with Dutch consumers, while the multi-city trade programme will focus on building relationships with tour operators and travel agents who package and sell South African holidays.
The aim is to help local tourism businesses, including SMMEs, access new international customers and strengthen tourism arrivals from the region.
Taking South Africa to Utrecht
The Getaway by Vakantiebeurs 2027 will take place at Jaarbeurs in Utrecht from 7 to 10 January.
South Africa’s pavilion, hosted by SAT’s North Europe Hub, will include a professional day focused on the distribution channel on 7 January, followed by consumer days from 8 to 10 January.
The revamped event places greater emphasis on experiences, with food and wine activations planned for the South African Pavilion. Participating suppliers will also be able to propose additional activations as part of their applications, although these will be at their own cost.
Taking the trade on the road
The Market Access Trade Engagements will run from 12 to 22 January, taking participating South African businesses to eight cities.
The programme includes Utrecht, Haarlem, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium; and Düsseldorf and Frankfurt in Germany.
SAT is looking for products that offer distinctive experiences, responsible tourism and value for money, with an emphasis on experiences that can appeal to both first-time and repeat visitors.
There is also a focus on experiences beyond established tourism routes, reflecting demand for more differentiated and off-the-beaten-track itineraries.
Putting digital tools to work
A key part of the programme will be helping participating businesses become more market-ready before they meet European buyers.
Selected businesses will work with SA Tourism’s hub teams to develop digital itineraries, which will then be reviewed by travel professionals in the region for both mid-market and traditional high-end audiences.
Businesses will also create short elevator pitches that can be shared with buyers ahead of the trade engagements. These videos can be accompanied by AI-enabled translations in Dutch, Flemish, German and French.
Europe remains an important source market
Germany and the Netherlands were South Africa’s second and third-largest European source markets respectively in 2025.
Together with Belgium, the three markets contributed 481,267 tourist arrivals during the year, accounting for 34% of all arrivals from Europe.
Growth has continued in 2026. Between January and July, South Africa recorded 84,002 arrivals from the Netherlands, an 11.6% increase compared with the same period in 2025. Germany recorded 166,429 arrivals, up 17%, while Belgium contributed 29,106, up 8.1%.
Combined, the three markets generated 279,537 arrivals during the first seven months of 2026.
Applications open until 1 October
Applications for both opportunities close on Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 17:00 SAST.
South African businesses interested in participating can request the application documents and full participation details from netrade@southafrica.net. Businesses applying for both initiatives will need to meet the requirements for each programme.
The initiative comes as SA Tourism continues to position market access as a key part of growing international tourism, connecting South African businesses not only with travellers, but with the international trade networks that help turn tourism products into bookable experiences.
