South Africa targets EAC tourists in new plan

• The office will cater to Kenya as a key base while targeting increasing arrivals from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.
• The announcement comes six months after Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) set up a base in South Africa by appointing Aviareps as a marketing development representative to sell Kenya in the country.

South African Tourism will open an office in Nairobi next year in a bid to attract more tourists from East Africa.

The office will cater to Kenya as a key base while targeting increasing arrivals from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.

“The large regional market potential suggests the need to establish a presence in the market rapidly,” said Phumi Ndlomo, South African Tourism director for domestic, Africa and Middle East.

He said Nairobi’s reputation as an African commerce, trade and development hub had made it a strategic location for South African Tourism to establish its regional headquarters.”

The announcement comes six months after Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) set up a base in South Africa by appointing Aviareps as a marketing development representative to sell Kenya in the country.

South Africa is one of Kenya’s leading sources of visitors in the region. KTB’s campaigns have seen visitors from the country grow to 19,200 in the six months to June compared to last year’s 16,000.

Kenya is also a key source market for South Africa with major campaigns being run throughout the year to attract Kenyans including the Cape Town Jazz and shopping festivals.

Marketing campaigns locally have seen the number of Kenyans travelling to South Africa rise by 4.3 per cent last year from 32,100 to 33,7000 the previous year.

“We have seen consistent growth in the Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian markets over the past decade and we believe this trend will continue,” said Ndlomo.

The move is part of the agency’s plan to solidify its grip in the African market.