South African Tourism goes on Safari at Taronga

The highly imaginative team from South African Tourism led by General Manager Australasia Bangu Masisi earned well deserved congratulation for coming up with Taronga Zoo as the Sydney venue for their excellent Experience South Africa trade workshops with a difference yesterday.

[Pictured right: Bangu Masisi, GM Australasia and Evelyn Mahlaba, Global Manager Channel and Customer for South African Tourism prepare for a big night!]

Having visited Perth and Melbourne, South African Tourism and a range of operators from South Africa and Australia invited agents to come along on an adventure, perhaps even a Safari, to experience a South African challenge, meet the operators and taste and touch the best of South Africa!

The invitation said that guests would be immersed in all things South African during the afternoon and evening, making selling South Africa easier than ever and never more fun.  That is exactly what was delivered with guests splitting into teams for an afternoon treasure hunt or Safari around Taronga Zoo, seeking the answers to a range of questions and taking a range of digital photographs with animals from the Zoo ready for the grand Gala Dinner in the spectacular setting overlooking the city and an amazing sunset.

An African drum for each of the guests to beat their hearts out and the revealing of the correct answers to the Safari provided a very clever, highly innovative and extremely entertaining evening, keeping agents, brought to Taronga by coach, on the edges of their seats until the very end of the evening, waiting to hear the winners of the grand prize of five places on a fam trip to South Africa.

[Pictured left: Candice Elsdon-Dew, Trade Relations Manager South African Tourism, Sasha Sherman, Tourism Development Coordinator with Qantas and Robin Mack, Tourism Development Executive with Qantas get beating the drums!]

Even greater innovation is to come later this week with Martin Place in the heart of Sydney being converted into an African Village this Friday 22 September and everyone is invited to come along, bring friends and clients and experience South Africa, its food and life and meet a range of South African operators and Australian companies selling South Africa.

Evelyn Mahlaba, Global Manager Channel and Customer for South African Tourism, based in Johannesburg told the Mole, “Every five years we revaluate our portfolio of international markets and Australia is our sixth most significant and a core market, with UK being number one”.  The portfolio review will take place again in 2007, but we are confident that Australia will remain a core market for South Africa.” 

Evelyn added, Tourism for the South African Government is about accelerating growth for the country, creating employment and economic wealth and we have fabulous assets with which to do that.”  “ We also have a trade intranet which can be accessed through http://trade.southafrica.net which gives all the tools to really sell South Africa effectively”.  “ We acknowledge and value greatly the dependency we have on the trade in Australia to drive transactions.”

It was really good to see South African Tourism get it so right, when some other rather boring seminars/roadshows get it so wrong – so ten out of ten to the team at South African Tourism!

[Pictured right: The five lucky winners of a South African Tourism fam trip to South Africa celebrate.]

Report by The Mole on Safari – well sort of!