Technology took center stage on the South Africa stand at World Travel Market 2011 with it's digital Touch Table. This unique tool allows up to eight people to simultaneously explore the various experiences on offer in South Africa and digitally extract information.
Celebrity gardener, Monty Don and venerated British broadcaster, Gloria Hunniford, were amongst the first to take a virtual tour of South Africa through the touch table.? As part of the UK country campaign, My Mission South Africa, Monty and Gloria visited South Africa to pursue their own particular dream holidays. On their trip, each celebrity followed a tailored and highly specialised itinerary taking in some very different experiences in almost every corner of the country.
The type of interaction demonstrated by the Touch Table is indicative of the level of engagement required to make an impact on the travel trade and consumer landscape of today. Initial feedback from exhibitors this year strongly supports our quality over quantity objective. Initial report backs show that meetings arranged this year were of a high quality, with greater outcomes and enhanced partnership building.
Johann Kleinhans from Fairfield Tours said: ?I definitely feel this year?s WTM has been more successful than previous shows. I have certainly been surprised by the amount of new travel businesses interested in South Africa at this time.?
The emphasis on entrenching South Africa?s core tourism markets in Europe, and in particular the UK, and aggressively pursuing emerging ones in the Americas, Asia and Africa was a key message communicated by the destination marketing organisation through its global campaign ?Leave Ordinary Behind? which will reach over one billion consumers in 600 million households worldwide this financial year.
Roshene Singh, chief marketing officer for South African Tourism reiterated the country?s commitment to the UK market adding: ?The UK economy has grown at a rate faster than projected in the last quarter.? As this is the largest source market for arrivals for South Africa, the positive economic outlook is very encouraging, and we are optimistic that the summer season will yield good arrivals and see South Africa begin 2012 on a good footing,?
