South Africa Tourism Lures Visitors With Trevor Noah and Mating Rhinos; Toronto Pearson Airport Rebounds Strongly; Scotland Combats Carbon Emissions

 

Call it revenge travel. Call it bucket-list travel. Call it what you like, but the folks at South Africa Tourism are pleased to see more Canadians heading their way.

Representatives from South Africa’s New York City tourism office jetted north of the border this week to talk with the travel media about the amazing variety of things to see and do in a country that offers a truly unique travel experience.  They also presented some unusual video footage, including amusing bits from South Africa TV host Trevor Noah and action shots of rhinos mating on a grassy South African plain.

Now, that’s how you get the media’s attention.

Justin Barnette, the highly entertaining head of Marketing and Communications North America for South African Tourism, said the team wanted to come to Toronto “because there’s so much energy and enthusiasm for South Africa in Canada.”

Visits from Canada were up 55% last year versus 2022, he said.

“Canada is now into the top 10 foreign markets for South Africa,” he said. “The UK is number one and the U.S. is number two, but Canada is a very strong eighth.”

That’s despite the fact there is no direct airlift from Canada to South Africa. Barnette said he’d love to see Air Canada give it a try, or perhaps South African Airways. For now, visitors from Canada can connect via London or other European airports, or through the U.S. via United and Delta, which offer direct flights to both Johannesburg and Cape Town from EWR and ATL.

Barnette said South Africa visitation last year was at 83% of pre-pandemic levels, and that officials anticipate a return to pre-Covid numbers this year.

There is, of course, a strong role for travel advisors to play to help make that happen.

“We work closely with the trade and our tour operators,” Barnette said. “We put on seminars, and we work to keep prices down and to showcase the country.”

South Africa Tourism also has an agent specialist program so advisors can dig deeper into the destination and sell it more easily.

South Africa’s hotel stock is continually improving, and getting new additions. Top new hotels include the Radisson Safari Hotel Hoedspruit and the Pullman Cape Town City Centre, the first Accor Pullman Hotels and Resorts property in South Africa. Lepogo Lodges in the Lapalala Wilderness will open Melote House this year, a not-for-profit lodge in the Limpopo reserve.

Barnette said South African tourism might soon add a new public relations agency in Canada, “so stay tuned.”

“There are so many things that are out of the ordinary in South Africa,” he told a lunch gathering in Toronto on 27MAR. “There’s restorative nature, as well as many things that have a real wow factor.

“It’s not just interesting lakes and theme parks,” he said. “People today want meaningful and transformative experiences.”

Here’s a link to a story I published yesterday on my visit a few years ago.

Culture is a major part of the South African tourism push, including top fashion designers who are winning awards and opening pop-up shops in New York City, and also popular music. Barnette noted that the most recent Grammy Awards saw South African artist Tyla take home the hardware for Best African Musical Performance. He also talked about a musical genre in South Africa called amapiano.

“It’s very upbeat, he said with a broad smile. “It’s now. It’s tikking. It’s tokking.”

South Africa this year is celebrating 30 years of democracy, and there are 27 tourism experiences in the country that let visitors explore the remarkable life of Nelson Mandela, the first elected president of South Africa.

Judy Pilllay, Head of Stakeholder Relations North America for South African Tourism, said South Africa is famous for its cultural mix, including peoples from Europe, Africa and India, as well as Malaysia and Indonesia. That makes for not only great art, but fabulous food; Indian curries, Portuguese-style chicken or fish, Malay/Indonesian sweets, and South African game.

This year also marks the 365^th anniversary of wine production in South Africa.

Barnette said one of the great advantages of a trip to South Africa is the wide variety of things to do in a relatively small space; everything from urban visits to Cape Town, scenic coastal drives along magnificent mountain ranges, and luxury safaris where you can see “The Big Five” in the morning and get a relaxing massage in the afternoon.

He didn’t mention it, but one of the highlights of my trip a few years ago was a visit to see the tiny penguins rolling in the surf and waddling along the shore at Boulders Beach, a short drive from Cape Town.

You also can zipline through the jungle canopy, take a jump off the world’s highest bungee-jumping bridge, or go cage-diving with great white sharks “if you want to be sure your heart is working properly.”

“Canadians love our outdoors and scenic beauty,” Barnette said. “Table Mountain in Cape town is one of the seven modern wonders of nature. When you’re on top you feel like a Greek god on Mount Olympus.”

One of the great attractions in Cape Town is Robbin Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for many years. Barnette said former prisoners take visitors on tours and tell them what life was really like for them in jail.

“Of course we still have challenges in South Africa, but we’re tackling them head on,” he said.

TORONTO PEARSON AIRPORT NOTES STRONG GROWTH IN 2023

 

The last year was an excellent one for Canada’s busiest airport, which is nearly back to pre-pandemic traffic levels. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority says passenger activity increased by 9.2 million, or a very solid 25.8% in 2o23, rising to 44.8 million from the 35.6 figure in 2022. The improvement was “due to strong travel demand and the travel industry partners’ ability to deliver more consistent levels of service following recovery challenges in 2022,” which likely means airlines did a better job. During 2023, passenger activity recovered to 88.9% compared to 2019 passenger activity.  During the month of December 2023, passenger activity recovered to 93.7 per cent of December 2019 passenger activity. Toronto Pearson Airport. JIM BYERS PHOTO “In 2023, travel activity was robust with nearly 45 million passengers at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Successful fourth quarter operations showcased the value of Toronto Pearson’s operating and capital investments in people, processes, technology, and equipment,” said Deborah Flint, President and CEO of GTAA. “Our 10-year strategic plan underpins necessary infrastructure reinvestment and revitalization that will make Toronto Pearson a global leader in airport performance, customer care, and sustainability.” “As the industry steadily improves and grows, we and our partners are focused on delivering greater operational performance, efficiency and customer experience. We are working with community and government leaders on our development plans, which will further stimulate job creation and strengthen the surrounding major employment hub. We are also proud to regain our ranking in the Forbes List of Best Employers in 2024 and to be ranked first in the Airport Service Quality Award for Best Airport over 40 Million Passengers in North America. Finally, through our environmental and people strategy, our employees and passengers alike are seeing new experiences and results to be proud of,” added Ms. Flint.

VISIT SCOTLAND COMBATS CARBON EMISSIONS IN TOURISM

VisitScotland has launched an innovative new partnership that will focus on the challenge of how to reduce carbon emissions in the tourism supply chain.

This partnership with global tour operator and leader in sustainable travel, The Travel Corporation (TTC), and international sustainable tourism organisation, the Travel Foundation, aims to inspire and support climate action within Scotland’s tourism industry and represents a huge opportunity to influence and drive change with businesses, visitors and destinations.

It is the first time that VisitScotland and any global tour operator have committed to work together to share learnings, insights and support each other in accelerating change and being part of the climate change solution. The overall goal of the project in the long term is to accelerate the de-carbonisation of the tourism supply chain in Scotland and it is anticipated that the learnings from the project will be of international relevance.

The focus will be on developing and delivering responsible tourism experiences and itineraries which aim to have a positive social or environmental impact on communities and those who experience them. 

The partnership will look at every touchpoint in the supply chain that a visitor experiences. For consumers looking for positive impact experiences in Scotland, the project aims to make selecting a travel provider that prioritises sustainability easier, giving them the opportunity to discover local stories, enjoy authentic experiences and see how their visit contributes to local communities.

Scotland’s tourism industry recognises the need for change with 75% of businesses aware of the Scottish Government’s net zero target for 2045.* For its part, The Travel Corporation is the first global tour operator to achieve validated near term, long term and net zero targets.

Together they will support businesses seeking to take steps to reduce their carbon emissions and offer sustainable options. This project will encourage tourism businesses in Scotland to see the business case for responsible, low-carbon development, and it will enable consumers to choose responsible products and tours.

Businesses from around Scotland took part in a webinar this week to find out more about the partnership and opportunities presented by the growing market of environmentally conscious consumers. They also heard from Scottish businesses who shared their experience of the benefits and opportunities of investing in a responsible future.

VisitScotland provides dedicated support and resources to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions, including a Climate Action Planning guide. Supporting Scotland’s transition to a low carbon economy is a key part of VisitScotland’s work to support the national tourism strategy Scotland Outlook 2030 Responsible Tourism for a Sustainable Future, and this new partnership is a significant part of planned activity for the year.