New Delhi: As part of the first leg to their Complete Confidence campaign, South African Tourism has released a series of videos showcasing precautionary measures employed by the destination. These efforts intend to reassure tourists and invite them, even as international borders prepare to open up from 1st October 2020.
Recently released, the first set of videos in the series aim to educate international tourists on bio-safety systems in place, at all private game lodges and government-owned national parks, shopping hubs, restaurants and accommodation facilities. These safety initiatives include lesser number of tourists in a safari vehicle to promote social distancing, digital menus, touchless parking, e-payment systems, hand-sanitization and disinfection stations, individually sanitized and packed takeways / room service etc.
South African Tourism, Hub Head – Middle East, India and South East Asia, Ms. Neliswa Nkani stated, “In South Africa, we remain committed to the safety and health of our visitors. Over the last few months, a lot of consultative work and focus has been placed on both, de-risking the sector and putting health & operational protocols in place for the safety of all tourists and employees – these videos stem from those efforts.”
“We seek to clearly communicate the globally-benchmarked measures implemented as we look to build aspiration and reassure travellers looking to travel internationally, as borders reopen. While many protocols are set to change, the quality of our service and warmth of our hospitality will continue to abide by the hallmark standards we are renowned for globally.”
The tourism board also aims to release additional videos highlighting safety regulations for MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and events) experiences, as part of this series.
“The MICE industry in South Africa has witnessed a quick rebound, and is stronger and more vigilant than ever. It is an industry that never backs down from a challenge; this is clearly evident from the fact that we are ready for business. We have in place one of the most advanced planned protocols in the world, with pre-screening and onsite confirmation to guarantee safe events,” she continued.
At present, social, religious, political and other gatherings are permitted in South Africa, as long as the number of people do not exceed 50% of the normal capacity of a venue – up to a maximum of 250 people for indoor gatherings and 500 people for outdoor gatherings.
These short-format videos have been shot keeping in mind social distancing norms and make for easy digital guides and information sources. The experiences have been filmed from a traveller perspective, with the aim of providing step-wise guidelines and educating them about mandated protocols in place, to ensure they have a safe and memorable experience.
The tourism board is additionally looking at curating videos displaying precautions that travellers can expect at various other transit touch points including international and domestic airports, and car rentals. Car rentals are expected to play an important role in the tourism ecosystem, as larger numbers of travellers are turning to self-drives for the assurance of privacy and safety.
Since the closure of borders over the last few months, the tourism board has been aggressively promoting virtual tourism experiences in consumer and travel trade spaces, in order to give travellers a first-hand feel of the destination and product, while also aiding aspiration and building recall.
South Africa continues to rank high on the post-Covid travellers bucket list. In fact, South Africa was nominated the most sought-after destination through Tourlane’s recent survey, which analyzed aspirations of travel communities across the globe as travel restrictions steadily begin to ease off.
