Although many countries claim that Brazilians have stopped traveling and that the political-economic crisis has impacted international tourism, South Africa has a number that proves that change was actually the way to travel.
In the last six months, the number of Brazilians in South Africa has exploded, according to Tati Isler, a South African Tourism (SAT) representative in Brazil. According to the executive, month-on-month the indexes have doubled compared to the values of the previous year, with emphasis for the month of June, that had an increase in 176% compared to 2016, reaching 5 thousand visitors against the 2 thousand of last year . The expectation is to reach the end of the year with a total of 60 thousand Brazilian tourists, 20 thousand more than last year.
The main factor that motivated the boom, according to Isler, was the prices of more attractive tickets. “Since only one company was connecting Brazil and South Africa, tickets were very expensive. With the entrance of Latam, the values became more competitive and the cost-benefit of the destination stood out a lot among the Brazilians. There was already strong demand, but the Brazilians could not get there. Now you can find executive tickets for $ 1,200. It is very accessible, “emphasizes Isler who explained that for the first time the country has received tourists on its first trip.
In addition to the cost-effectiveness, Isler also highlighted the marketing and promotion work of the airlines and the tourism body itself. She emphasized that SAT has focused not only on dissemination, but also on trainings, workshops, famtrips and participation in fairs and events.
As for the most visited places, in addition to Cape Town – the main city sought after by tourists – SAT has unveiled Johannesburg as the next trend. “Johannesburg is a great metropolis, just like Sao Paulo. With a huge cultural richness and vibrant diversity. There’s a lot of interesting stuff to do. Today people stay at least one day in the city, but we want to increase the stay of tourists, “he concludes.
South Africa takes workshop for Argentina for the first time
In its second edition, the South Africa Workshop, gathered 25 South American exhibitors in a day of lectures and networking in São Paulo. The event, which goes through Curitiba (PR), will follow for the first time to Buenos Aires (Argentina). For the next year, Isler explained that he wants to take the event to Santiago (Chile). “Now we do not just take care of Brazil, we are investing in South America with more force”, commented the representative. Last year the workshop included the city of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.
Photo: Reproduction
Source: Market & Events