outh Africa Tourism is scaling up the implementation of its sector growth plans , building on its ‘ Live Again ’ global campaign . A new MegaFam programme will invite tourism industry professionals and influencers to sample the destination ’ s offerings . Eight hundred and forty people will be invited to visit from varied backgrounds and countries .

Bronwen Auret , chief quality assurance of South Africa of SA Tourism , said : “ The idea is for them to come and be immersed in and experience South Africa for themselves . They , in turn , will be touched by our Ubuntu-centric spirit of hospitality , such that when they go back to their home countries , they won ’ t be able to keep quiet about their experiences here , and will want to Tweet it out loud , Instagram it boldly , blog it boisterously and of course for those in the tourism booking business ; ‘ sell it ’.” Examples of the invitees include Rwandan travel photographer Winnie Rioba , who lets her lens tell the story of the incredible destinations she has visited on the African continent .

Airlift rising By June 2022 , South Africa had received about 2.28 million international visitors , well on track towards surpassing 2021 ’ s full-year total of just over 2.3 million . Confidence in the destination is evidenced by moves such as Air Belgium launching direct flights twice a week between Brussels , Johannesburg and Cape Town , and Qatar Airways ’ co-operation agreement with Airlink . United Airlines has launched in

November its new non-stop three-times weekly year-round service between its Washington / Dulles hub and Cape Town International Airport .

SA Tourism ’ s ambitious target is to raise international tourist arrivals beyond the 10 million per annum averaged in the three years immediately prior to the pandemic .

The sector contributes at least 774,000 jobs and some R122bn ( US $ 6.98bn ) in foreign currency earnings .

First AIPC Summit The South African National Convention Bureau is partnering with the International Association of Convention Centres ( AIPC ) to host the continent ’ s first AIPC Summit .

“ We are excited to host the first AIPC Summit on the continent and to be at the forefront of the opening of the Africa chapter of the AIPC ,” said acting chief convention bureau officer at the SANCB , Zinhle Nzama , announcing the deal in Barcelona at IBTM in December . “ Our convention and exhibition venues are able to provide excellent standards to host international conferences . We want to ensure that the continent ’ s venues are in line with global standards and provide impeccable service .”

The Africa chapter of the AIPC summit will take place at the 2023 edition of Meetings Africa on 27 February at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg and will provide a knowledge-sharing platform on how to

Above : Zinhle Nzama , chief convention bureau officer at the SANCB

elevate venue standards on the continent .

AIPC CEO , Sven Bossu said that Africa ’ s population is growing and its economy is booming , therefore business events will become increasingly important to cater for the growing demand . “ People are looking for unique experiences , and our job as convention and exhibition centres is to figure out how we cater for these experiences ,” said Bossu .

The Summit also includes an ICCA Association Day .

Green Tourism Incentives The Department of Tourism invites all eligible tourism enterprises to take part in the current Green Tourism Incentive Programme ( GTIP ) application window which is open until 28 February 2023 .

Through grant funding , the GTIP assists private sector tourism enterprises in reducing the cost of investing in energy and water efficient solutions , while increasing their competitiveness and sustainability in the long term . Louw Allan from the Gauteng four-star graded , Cullinan Diamond Lodge described the programme as “ a worthwhile opportunity for any establishment .”

The GTIP interventions at the Cullinan Diamond Lodge do not only entail responsible operations and environmental benefits . After the projected payback period , the cost savings will continue to reduce the overall operational cost of the enterprise and improve its competitiveness .

The programme broadly offers the following benefits to qualifying tourism enterprises :

• The full cost for a new resource efficiency audit or the full cost for reviewing an existing resource efficiency audit ;

• Grant funding to qualifying small and micro enterprises on a sliding scale from 50 % to 90 % of the total cost of implementing resource efficiency interventions , which is capped at R1 million . n