‘Our approach is simple - we are looking at maintaining a consumer-centric approach’
Brand-building is a long term prospect and brands have to look beyond immediate business implications while communicating and marketing. We have an obligation to place our consumers and their wellbeing first.
South African Tourism is an organisation that primarily promotes travel to South Africa. However, business takes a backseat in times of crisis – we have, instead, used this period to build aspiration and awareness. We have also used responsible tactics by integrating ‘do not cancel, postpone’ or ‘plan now, to travel later’ into our content.
We have seen exponential growth in the number of Indians availing smartphones, cheap data packages, and shifting to digital mediums to consume content. During the lockdown period, we also noticed an increase in screen time by our consumers, and hence promoted virtual tourism in a big way in order to continue to remain topof-mind. We believe that virtual reality can be used as an effective destination brochure. It allows consumers a look and feel of the product and aids in building aspiration.
For example, Kruger National Park, Ulusaba Private Game Reserve and several other national parks are offering virtual LIVE safaris to viewers from across the world. Theses virtual shows enable you to interact with an expert game ranger in real-time! Safari vehicles, guides on foot, drones, balloons, rovers and remote cams all roam the terrains of South Africa, to bring the best possible safari viewing experience to homes.
We have also used digital mediums to educate our trade partners, who ultimately sell the destination. SA Specialist, our fun and interactive online learning programme, has witnessed an increase in the number of Indian travel trade undertaking the training, as trade agents are using the lockdown period to upskill and reskill themselves.
Even before the pandemic, we realised the importance of localised, targeted and relevant content, and thus, increased our digital presence in India.
Indian travellers today, mostly millennials, rely heavily on social interaction for recommendations when considering a new destination and activities for their voyage. Hence, to tap into the pulse of this growing traveller segment, we forayed into the world of social media in 2017 with a dedicated Facebook page, especially customised for the India market. We also launched our Instagram India handle early in 2018. South African Tourism is one of the very few international tourism boards in India to have a standalone digital presence in the market.
Our approach is simple - we are looking at maintaining a consumer-centric approach, while also building trust and aspiration, and instilling confidence in consumers intending to travel. Consumers will seek assurance and human guidance, as they consider and plan to travel. They should be made well aware of all processes and requirements by the destination or transfer facilities, in order to avoid a mismatch in expectations and allow for smooth journeys. We plan on educating consumers through owned and earned, digital, print and electronic platforms, in engaging easy-to-consume formats.