Page 53 - TKZN Annual Report 2023/2024

Key events included WTM Africa in Cape Town where the KZN trade conducted 144 meetings, the Africa Showcase Roadshow training of 118 travel agents across three cities, and Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban welcoming over 8,600 delegates from 62 countries.
For Africa’s Travel Indaba, TKZN’s key messaging was “Re-route to KZN” executed across various touchpoints. The entity’s exhibition stand accommodated tourism routes, small businesses, and allocated badges for districts without stands. Forty unemployed graduates were temporarily employed as tourism ambassadors during the event.
Tourism KZN also participated in the World Travel Market 2023 in London, meeting with over 20 companies to promote KZN’s sustainable tourism experiences. As a result of attending WTM London, TKZN met with a tour operator called The Cultural Experience. They have since created KZN packages and brought 23 tourists to KZN. Each of the packages costs just above GBP5,000.
In Europe, TKZN exhibited at shows like Vakantiebeurs in the Netherlands and ITB Berlin, conducting destination training and negotiating potential joint marketing agreements. It also participated in a North Europe roadshow in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Other Europe Activities executed in the period under review included the Grand Pavois hosting which saw KwaZulu-Natal featured in numerous articles in Italy, France and Spain. The value of the coverage received amounted to R845,000.
As a result of hosting a writer from the National Geographic Traveller, KwaZulu-Natal was featured in this magazine in the UK in March 2024.The value of the coverage received amounted to R280,000.
Over and above one on one trade engagements throughout the year under review, the entity also participated in trade workshops including the Botswana Spotlight in Gaborone; Zambia Spotlight in Lusaka, Africa ShowCase in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town to educate travel agents on KZN’s tourism offerings,
Other activities during the year included Tourism KZN’s multi-pronged efforts through strategic domestic consumer engagements, international trade training, partnership activations and travel trade relations to boost tourism arrivals for KwaZulu-Natal across key source markets.
Domestic Activities
Seasonal Campaigns
Tourism KZN embarked on a series of large-scale, multi-channel seasonal campaigns to promote tourism throughout the year:
Winter Campaign
The “Warm Winters in KZN” campaign aimed to showcase the region as a year-round destination. Despite the cooler months, a variety of indoor and winter activities, including spa retreats, culinary tours, and inland adventures, were featured prominently.
Tourism KZN ran the winter season awareness campaign from 1 July 2023 to 31 August 2023. The promotion consisted of airport billboards in Lanseria International Airport, O.R Tambo International Aiirport, King Shaka International Airport and Cape Town International Airport. The reach in each airport per month was as follows:
• O.R Tambo – 333 499 (1 billboard)
• Cape Town – 596 930 (2 billboards)
• King Shaka – 159 803 (1 billboard)
• Lanseria – 91 208 (3 billboards)
Tourism KZN flighted destination TV adverts aired during the Shaka Ilembe series on DSTV Mzansi Magic over 12 episodes with a reach of at least 10 000 000 viewers.
Spring/Tourism Month Campaign
“Spring Awakening in KZN” celebrated the rejuvenation of the province’s natural beauty, with a focus of the celebration of our heritage and tourism months, scenic hikes, and outdoor activities. This campaign also promoted eco-tourism and nature conservation efforts, attracting environmentally conscious travellers as Tourism KwaZulu-Natal partnered with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Tourism KZN conducted destination branding at Somopho Hills Adventure Park (Empangeni) where Tourism Month 2023 celebration took place to increase
TOURISM KWAZULU-NATAL ANNUAL REPORT 2023/2024 51