SA hot on trend, 'offering up to 20% cheaper breaks for international visitors'

Cape Town - South Africa is carving out a name for itself as a competitive global travel destination, and interest levels in the country amongst international markets, such as the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, are steadily increasing.

This is according to Bruce Deneys, Sales and Marketing Director at Pepperclub Hotel & Spa, who says that the number of international tourists returning to South Africa after their first visit is steadily increasing. “As a result of the exchange rate to the euro and dollar being particular strong, holidaying in South Africa has effectively become 10 – 20% cheaper in the last few months.”

Deneys, who recently returned from the 2015 ITB – the world’s leading travel trade show held in Berlin earlier in March, says that the German market is showing increased interest in South Africa.

“There was a buzz at the South African stand at the trade show, with many agents looking to book group reservations, a significant increase in comparison to previous years.”

Having also travelled to the US and UK during his trip to meet with industry players, Deneys says that the US is definitely one of the more buoyant markets interested in South Africa, and that the UK is showing an increased interest. “Although South Africa was a popular travel destination for UK travellers last year, we are already noticing an uptick in the amount of UK tourists visiting during the first few months of 2015.”

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Deneys’ views are supported by the recently announced TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice™ 25 Best Destinations List for 2015, which named Cape Town number 10 - beating 469 other travel destinations worldwide and renowned cities, such as New York, Sydney, Dubai, Bangkok and Barcelona. “The Mother City has moved up from 19^th place in 2014, and is proof that South Africa and Cape Town are gaining popularity amongst international travellers,” says Deneys.

He says that the favourable exchange rate in particular has aided in South Africa, especially Cape Town, becoming more of a hot travel destination amongst international markets.

He says the fact that Cape Town is seen as an international event destination has also supported the country’s rising tourism figures.

“The upcoming 16^th annual Jazz Festival, which sees many local and international guests travel from afar to participate in the event, is a prime example of this. This not only drives tourism revenue for the country, but also has a positive impact on local establishments, such as hotels and restaurants, as well as job creation.”

SA Tourism announced earlier this week that South Africa remains the top convention destination in Africa and the Middle East, and that there is potential for further growth within the conference market. 118 meetings and conferences took place in South Africa during the 2013/2104 year, and SA Tourism seeks to increase this figure to 134 by 2020.

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“Cape Town has already seen major events, such as the Mining Indaba, take place in 2015, and the number will only increase going forward as a result of upcoming planned events, including the Rugby Sevens, which has moved from its original location of Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.

“The city is continually gaining international and local recognition as an events and conference destination, and with the growing attention and favourable exchange rate for international markets, this interest is only set to grow in coming months and years,” concludes Deneys.