South Africa travel agents train to lure India travelers

South Africa expects to welcome over 100,000 visitors from India in 2017, up from the 95,377 in 2016, which was 21.7 percent more than the previous year.

South Africa Tourism has tied up with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), and under this arrangement, more than 1,500 front-line agents are being trained to promote South Africa in India.

Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, India, South African Tourism, and Rajan Sehgal, Chairman, TAAI North region, painted a rosy picture of a tourism rise from India, when they spoke at a training program for agents on July 12, which was open for non-TAAI members also. Sehgal said that non-members may be tempted to join TAAI when they see the gains from the training, which was designed to give practical exposure, so that the destination can be promoted.

Slabber, who is in her 7th year of posting in India, said that India was very important for her country, as the people from India traveled to South Africa in the lean months, which is good for the economy. She pointed out that job creation and tour packages were important aspects of travel, not just numbers.

Young people and tier 2 and tier 3 cities were important for South Africa Tourism, which was also doing marketing in languages other than English, such as Tamil and Gujrati.

The training program is covering several cities, spread over 24 days, and 11 suppliers are taking part in the exercise.

The focus on Learn SA 2017 was on training agents about new destinations such as Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Port Elizabeth, and the Drakensberg region, beyond the popular Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, and Kruger National Park.

The exchange rate of Rand to Rupee is favorable for the Indian market.