I am out on the routes nationally from October to April.
I have seen a huge decline in the number of busses and tourists all the way from October.
People get ripped off at SANparks. R303.00 per person to go to Cape Point!
Do you need a birth certificate for the child or not?
Local communities all over the country that just burn tires and tourists see and report this at home.
Expensive accommodation. I can stay for the same price as a 4 star in Italy!

When people fly 10 000km, they want value for money, safety and service. Sorry but we do not have that and Kenya will pick the fruit.

We must change our strategies. For too long SA Tourism focuses on the big operators and BEE newcomers and neglect the smaller efficient operators. Also we must lure thousands of Agents overseas to visit South Africa and experience the product 1st hand. Create a network of international small operators who sell South Africa!

A lot of rhetoric excuses! Do research on other developing countries or new markets and just follow the numbers if their inbound tourism is growing. Then go and try to find what they do right to attract business! Easy - stop finding excuses and find the real reason . . Gigaba, Corruption, BEE, Crime, Bad support from SAT, bad strategies...stop spending money on big guys and allow for a national network of small efficient operators that understands the market and know how to sell.

To some degree you are right Fanie, however should be the "big guys" that drive Development.
Maybe more effort should be put in to developing secondary markets instead of focussing on Source markets?

We still operate in silos. i like your idea of getting support from SA Tourism. We need to collaborate better as a destination.

At the risk of sounding negative - realigning prices? 2010 all over? When I have to sell a room and get the customer to pay N$ 2000,00 per person for BB at a hotspot in Namibia, I can honestly say that I can sell that same customer an equal accommodation at an equal hotspot in Austria in the same equal season for less. I know all the reasons and talk, to a customer, this means nothing. Couple this with no-fake negative news and decades long perceptions, regional flight chaos (as recently experienced with flight schedules) and you have a perfect storm brewing.... As said, the big boys run away with the business that's left and quantity will eventually triumph over quality (i.e. look North).

Piter - when Martin says "realigning prices", he means keep them DOWN. As you illustrated in your comparison, he means that accommodation is hyper inflated across the board bar privately owned accommodations.

You do know that Belgium and The Netherlands are the same as Benelux?
Quote:
These drops are being seen from a number of source markets to South Africa: ...Belgium, The Netherlands ..... However, industry players note that arrivals from ..., Benelux...are still positive.
Unquote

I thought the same....

The one interesting point in your reply is your idea for a national network for smaller operators. Have you considered initiating this? I know of at least 2 small operators who would benefit from such a network - co-operation, knowledge and resources sharing are definitely one path forward that could work.