South African minister of tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane was in India recently to announce the launch of the pilot e-visa programme for Indian travellers. This initiative is expected to boost not just leisure but also business tourism in South Africa, which is yet thrive.
Business Traveller India spoke to the honourable minister for an insight on MICE in South Africa.
What is the contribution of MICE in the overall tourism sector of South Africa?
Currently, we have seen a growth, but not where we would want to be. One of the concerns that we have is that when corporate travellers arrive, they only stay for business and leave. We have not seen them bring in their families, we have not seen them extending a night to explore South Africa from a leisure perspective. So, when we hosted our own South Africa investment conference, we included a city tour on the last day and the response for it was positive. Therefore, we are now looking at promoting the country as a bleisure destination.
What are the efforts being taken to overcome the shortcomings in South Africa’s business tourism?
We are in talks with industry experts and corporates from across the globe to understand how we can further boost MICE tourism. Enhanced network connectivity is one of the aspects that we are focusing on — besides, inviting leading airlines to start direct flights for destinations like India, we are also exploring the availability of charter services.
What are the plans and strategies adopted to promote South Africa as a business centre for Indians?
What we have understood is that multiple-entry visa to South Africa will help to attract more frequent travellers from India and other target markets. Several measures have been undertaken to provide ease of access to Indian tourists including bringing changes in the visa regime. This includes the online visa application system pilot testing, a full roll out of which is expected to take place from April 1, 2020. Also, we aim to showcase several of our international convention centres and hotel inventories that go beyond just Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Which are the most prominent and upcoming destinations for MICE in South Africa?
Apart from just Cape Town and Johannesburg, there is Deben. An upcoming spot is Port Elizabeth, which is not known to many. Development of business centres in Mpumalanga is also in the pipeline.
