SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM’s Speed Marketing Sessions, the highly successful engine for brokering business at INDABA, are kicking into high-gear again this year, introducing an array of South African tourism product to 200 top quality hosted buyers from around the world.
These fast, highly effective sessions have been a huge hit since they were introduced at INDABA 2012. With inbound tourism to South Africa continuing on an encouraging growth trajectory, the sessions are expected to be a hive of potentially lucrative deal making.
“The Speed Marketing Sessions are specifically designed to facilitate as many fruitful trading contacts as possible, and given that South Africa is currently among the fastest growing inbound regions in the world – arrivals to the country rose by 10,2 % in 2012 and the 2013 figures are showing a similar growth trajectory, so we are expecting that international travel buyers will be keener than ever to plug into South Africa’s tourism offering,” says South African Tourism Chief Executive Officer Mr Thulani Nzima.
The Speed Marketing Sessions will take place at Room 22 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban. In the sessions, global buyer delegates will be introduced to a wide variety of South African product, including everything from action-packed adventure and unique experiences to cosmopolitan hot spots.
Three types of tourist experiences have been identified for this year’s Speed Marketing Sessions. These are: Hidden Treasures (Saturday, May 10 from 12.30pm to 2pm), Urban Vibe (Sunday, May 11 from 12.30pm to 2pm) and Action Adventure (Monday, May 12 from 12.30pm to 2pm). Twenty products will be represented for each theme, and each will have 4 – 5 minutes each to make their sales pitch to the buyers.
Hidden Treasures is a collection of unique countrywide innovative products collated by the Tourism Enterprise Partnership, including heritage tours and attractions that offer insight into the people of South Africa.
These are high quality, value-for-money products that authentically represent the people and stories of South Africa. “Market research has shown that global inbound tourists are increasingly seeking these experiences, so an enticing spread of these products will definitely be good for buyers attending the Speed Marketing Sessions,” says Nzima.
For the Urban Vibe session, South Africa’s most popular urban hubs will have the opportunity to showcase their attractions and experiences, while for Action Adventure, the most sought after adventure experiences have been chosen, including hot air ballooning, shark diving, river rafting, horse riding and hiking.
“We are committed to showcasing the best of South Africa to buyers in innovative, relevant ways at Indaba 2014, and this is what Speed Marketing is all about. Above all, these sessions are about doing business, and generating robust profits for our tourism industry over the next year,” says Nzima.