Road-show spotlights South Africa’s global tourism appeal

South Africa’s international appeal as a tourism and investment destination was showcased recently at a roadshow hosted by the South African Embassy in collaboration with Across Borders Travel LLC, a leading UAE based marketing and representational services agency.

The event – described by Busi Sibusisiwe Mangoegape, Political Counsellor at the Embassy, as the first of several interactions planned with the travel industry – attracted representatives from a number of travel agencies and service providers based in Oman and the wider region.

Taking part were executives of Ethiopian Airlines, Oman-qatar Insurance Company, Tune Protect, Across Borders Travel LLC, and Tamrich Tourism – a South African based luxury inbound travel operator.

In opening remarks, South African Ambassador Manabile Shogole said: “South Africa is not only a tourist destination of choice, but also a hub for trade, investments and exports. There are so many other opportunities to be explored in terms of the country’s mineral and natural resources as well. We have eight Unesco World Heritage Sites in South Africa. In terms of the weather, we have four seasons that allow you to enjoy the great outdoors throughout the year.”

South Africa is the only country in the world to have two Nobel Peace laureates – Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu – who lived on the same street in Soweto - Vilakazi Street, the Ambassador noted. “So visiting South Africa means visiting a country that is unique, a country where Mandela affectionately called his people the ‘Rainbow Nation’,” the Ambassador stated.

He also underlined South Africa’s appeal as a global sporting nation that is passionate about cricket, rugby, soccer and golf. The country hosted the FIFA World Cup championships in 2010 – an event that has been billed in some quarters as the best ever in the FIFA series, he said. South Africa also hosts the prestigious Nedbank Golf College every December, which attracts the likes of Tiger Woods and other legends, Ambassador Shogole stated.

Film documentaries illustrating the stunning natural beauty of each of the nine provinces of the Rainbow Nation were also played at the roadshow.