Wooing with wine & golf
South African Airways trains its focus on promoting not just the country’s wines and golf courses in India but also its safety.
Even though 2014 wasn’t as expected in terms of load factors for various reasons, South African Airways isn’t wasting any time mulling over it. The airline, along with South African Tourism, is already getting into the thick of it to ensure that 2015 reflects better numbers, and more importantly, increased confidence in the destination.
Sajid Khan, Country Manager – India for South African Airways, says, “Year 2014 wasn’t as expected. There were two reasons for this: during the high season, we had delays in visas. That caused a lot of corrosion of the market share. Then came ebola and that has really caused us a lot of damage. This was just a matter of mindset because the distance between West Africa and South Africa is as large as Hong Kong and Dubai.”
The airline continues to educate the passengers and agents on the virus. “Most agents know it is safe. It ultimately boils down to the confidence passengers have in South Africa’s government in securing the borders. India,
The airline has also mapped out a marketing plan for 2015 along with South African Tourism that it will put into action from April 2015. “Our two main focus areas are our wines and golfing. We will