Rand losing value vis-a-vis rupee, South Africa expects more Indian tourists on its shores.
If the rupee’s fall played spoilsport with your overseas vacation plans, then another plummeting currency will prove saviour for you. The South African rand (ZAR), which was valued at close to Rs6.90 in May 2012, is trading around Rs5.90 at the moment. This has made tour packages to South Africa (SA) better value-for-money for Indian travelers, said country manager of South African Tourism, Hanneli Slabber on Tuesday.
To put the currency equation into perspective, consider a basic 10-day package costing Rs1 lakh. This converts into around 17,000 rand at present, which would have been 14,500 rand in May 2012. The comparative difference of 2,500 rand converts into a Rs15,000 saving for the Indian tourist. No wonder then, that SA has seen an increasing number of Indian tourists over the past few years.
“Around 1.06 lakh Indians traveled to SA in 2012, while the number stood at 48,000 in 2008 – less than half. While the annual global growth in number of tourists going to SA was 4% in 2012, 15% more Indians traveled during the same period,” she said, adding 15% growth is expected this year, as well.
According to Slabber, 7% of the Indian tourists came from Gujarat. With a view to attract more interest from the state’s international travelers, SA Tourism has even consulted with the chefs’ association there to prepare a special menu comprising vegetarian Gujarati and Jain dishes, albeit with a South African twist.
Dispelling a myth, she went on to say that Indian tourists are not as picky about their food as they are made out to be.
“There are 300 restaurants in SA serving proper Indian food in SA, and many of these have what we refer to as African-Indian items on the menu. The Gujarati and Jain tourists have continually shown preference for the latter,” Slabber explained.
Sport is another factor which has led to more tourists visiting SA.
“In 2009, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was hosted in SA, while in 2010, the FIFA (football) World Cup was held there. Sport has a tendency to break barriers that otherwise divide people and it also helped boost tourism there,” she added.
Slabber was speaking on the sidelines of 2-day ‘Learn South Africa’ module in the city, which aims to provide training to frontline staff of city-based travel agencies by intensifying destination awareness, giving them a better understanding of SA. Similar sessions will also be held in 14 other cities across the country.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}