by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa
Satour Head Office, 16 September 1999
The R180-million Tourism Action Plan, the blueprint for the international marketing of South Africa as a top world tourist destination, was launched by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Valli Moosa, in Pretoria today.
The Tourism Action Plan is the product of a public-private partnership between government and the tourism industry tasked to formulate an integrated strategic tourism marketing campaign for South Africa.
The R180-million budget, the largest budget for international tourism marketing since Satour’s inception in 1947, comprises of:
R50 million from government
R45 million from the fixed costs and marketing spend of Satour (the international tourism marketing arm of government)
R50 million from the Business Trust
R25 million from the Tourism Business Council through the collection of a voluntary levy and
R10 million from SAA.
Minister Moosa said that both the private and the public sectors have dug deep into their pockets to raise the money required to fund the Tourism Action Plan. "This in itself is a measure of the importance of this issue to our country and our economy as tourism is one of the levers for rapid economic growth and job creation. Tourism is a national priority and it is gratifying to see that all stakeholders are coming to the table."
The Tourism Action Plan has two important focuses:
1. In the short term it will run marketing campaigns (above the line, below the line and co-operative marketing campaigns) mainly in the traditional Big Six markets (UK, USA, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and France) to increase South Africa’s market share of the international tourists coming to this country.
2. It will also gather comprehensive information on the world tourism market so that South Africa can gear itself in the medium to longer term to strategic, customer-driven marketing campaigns that will bring not only the high-yield tourists South Africa needs to make this industry really boom, but also provide the information to open the emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East and the rest of Africa.
Moosa said that the Tourism Action Plan brings government and the tourism industry together for the first time in a public-private partnership around the common goal of putting our country at the top of any tourist’s "must visit" list.
"This plan has the framework for a strategic marketing campaign that starts with major short-term campaigns in early 2000 while laying the ground work with detailed market research, in both established and emerging markets, that will inform our future campaigns."
He said that the success of this plan lies in the partnership; in government and the private sector working together around the common goal to make South Africa one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
Moosa announced that Paul Bannister, of CC Africa and formerly of Hunt Lascaris who is well known and respected in both the advertising and marketing arenas, will be project leader of the Tourism Action Plan.
"Under Paul’s guidance we will start to put together the campaign and the team that will tell all the world just how great our country is. As I have mentioned before I am looking at how we can transform Satour into an organisation geared to its core business: the international marketing of South Africa. Under Paul’s guidance we will be able to set up the team to take the campaign for South African tourism into the future."
Mr Stewart Lumka, CEO of Satour said: "We are extremely enthusiastic about the process and feel confident that with the support of government and the private sector, tourism will at last realise its potential and make a meaningful contribution to the South African economy by impacting significantly on job creation and foreign exchange earnings. The Tourism Action Plan is a groundbreaking initiative that creates a revolutionary example of partnership in action. "
The Plan is the result of an historic co-operation agreement signed between government and business at a tourism summit on 7th December 1998, which led to the formation of the Tourism Forum. The Satour Marketing Partnership Committee (SMPC) was mandated by the Forum to draw up a collaborative international marketing strategy aimed at boosting international tourism arrivals to South Africa: The Tourism Action Plan launched today. Minister Moosa thanked all the members of the SMPC for the work that they had put into the Tourism Action Plan
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. Today is the start of a new chapter for tourism sector in our country.
After months of discussion and heated debate we (government and the tourism business in partnership) can place on the table a plan of action of how we plan to market South Africa as a world-class tourist destination.
Over the past year, and in particularly since the Job Summit, there has been increased focus on the role tourism can play in economic growth and job creation. The urgency to kickstart the tourism sector has increased as some of the other sectors of our economy are now facing structural obstacles to growth.
Any plan of action for tourism has to deal with two important pressures:
In the short term we must increase our market share of international tourists coming to this country, and
We also need to gather more detailed information on the international tourist market so that we can start to plan strategic, customer-driven marketing campaigns in the longer term that will bring to South Africa the high-yield tourists that we need to really make this industry boom.
They are not only in our traditional "Big Six" markets. We also need to look at the potential tourists in the emerging markets and at how we can attract them to our country.
Over the past five years we have more than held our market share, but to leave it to fortune and chance would open the door to complacency, which always spells disaster in the highly competitive world of international tourism.
Today we are proud to place on the table the Tourism Action Plan, which was drawn up the Satour Marketing Partnership Committee of the Tourism Forum after exhaustive consultations in the sector to find a common way forward.
The Tourism Action Plan brings government and the tourism industry together for the first time in a public-private partnership around the common goal of putting our country at the top of any tourist’s "must visit" list.
Both the private and the public sectors have dug deep in their pockets to raise the money required to fund the Tourism Action Plan. This in itself is a measure of the national importance of this issue to our country and our economy.
But what it will actually do in terms of increasing the number of arrivals in our country and how we grow to meet the demand is the real test.
This plan has the framework for a strategic marketing campaign that starts with major short-term campaigns in early 2000 while laying the groundwork for our future campaigns with detailed market research, in both established and emerging markets. We need to become both customer-driven and customer-focused in our marketing to unlock the potential of tourism in our country.
I will not go into the detail now as the presentation will outline the key features of the plan.
The success of this plan lies in the partnership - in what government and the private sector can do together. That is why I am very pleased to be able to tell you today that Paul Bannister, a well-known and respected leader in both the advertising and marketing arenas, will lead the next stage of this plan.
Under Paul’s guidance as project leader we will start to put together the campaign and the team that will tell the world just how great our country is. As I have mentioned before, I am looking at how we can transform Satour into an organisation geared towards its core business: which is the international marketing of South Africa. Under Paul’s guidance we will have set up the team that will take the campaign for South African tourism into the future.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the SMPC for all their efforts in laying the groundwork for the Tourism Action Plan. I have the fullest confidence that your vision for the future of tourism in this country will be taken forward by Paul and his team.
We offer a wide range of scenic splendour in a country that has the excitement of the wilderness with access through world-class infrastructure. But perhaps more importantly we are a country with a unique history and people: divided in our past but working together today for our common future.
The Tourism Action Plan embodies the spirit of our future as we build together around our common goal to put our country on the world tourism map. It will require the effort of all South Africans, and with that I have no doubt that we will succeed.
Didi Moyle
Special Adviser to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
phone: (021) 465 7240/1 and (012) 310 3611
fax: (021) 465 3216 and (012) 322 0082
email: moyle@mweb.co.za
cell: 082 808 5108