The use of technology; more specifically social media by hospitality and travel chains has provided millennials with a great opportunity in today’s market. A few years ago, when teachers and parents would complain about youths spending all day on social media, it was very much seen as …
When it comes to eating out and shopping, a buzz word that is arguably synonymous with millennials is the word ‘pop-up shop’. The pop-up embodies all things new and trendy and therefore inevitably hipsters and young people flock towards them. This wasn’t ….
Source : Africanews.com
As many countries continue to experience timid economy, South Africa has now embarked on improving its tourism sector which has so far been one of the major income earners for the country.
Developers in South Africa diversified the Google map and street view by introducing elements of better images and videos to describe tourist sites. The idea has been termed as “The Mzansi experience.”
Speaking with AFP, Mich Atagana, director of communications and public affairs at Google South Africa, linked Mzansi experience to real time experience that will fascinate tourists.
There are some people who can never afford to physically come to South Africa and see these places in their lifetime, and hopefully this will give them the opportunity to experience it a little bit
“The Mzansi experience is part of Google maps and street view. We have created a gallery of all these images, which you can access through Google Maps. The camera used is called a tracker; it has 19 cameras and it catches a 360-degree view of an area, and when you access the images on Google maps, it is almost as good as walking through the area itself,” he said.
According to Atagana, the idea of Mzansi experience is to show South Africans and international travellers the natural beauty of South Africa. Some of the sites they are launching include, Kruger Park, Table Mountain, Cape Point, and Kirstenbosch Gardens.
We are proud to launch The Mzansi Experience: Discover SA on Google Maps https://t.co/CVhhI6PrPQ #ExploreMzansi pic.twitter.com/tZmuqvk1hn
— googleafrica (@googleafrica) March 8, 2016
The idea is also aimed at researchers who might not physically visit the places but may need to have a picture of the real landscape. It will also entice more people who want to experience the real scene.
“Even South Africans who do not have the means to go to Kruger can also experience that. This is a very important part of this. It is a window for people who want to experience and look at it and get on a plane to go, which is great and we encourage that, there are some people who can never afford to physically come to South Africa and see these places in their lifetime, and hopefully this will give them the opportunity to experience it a little bit,” said Atagana.
The idea of Mzansi experience is now aiming at improving the tourism sector in South Africa through building a a better reserve of images to widen the experience, using images collected by Google in partnership with SANParks, Google has created 360-degree imagery of some of South Africa’s top tourist locations.
Source: http://traveller24.news24.com
Cape Town – South Africa’s tourism industry is predicted to grow steadily as the number of foreign visitors into the greater African continent is expected to increase according to a projected outcome for 2020.
Though the continent has had its fair share of challenges, specifically in SA, in 2015 alone, there was a reduction in the global economy and in SA, the amendments to the country’s visa regulations had a major impact on both the hotel industry and tourism sector.
The tourism sector of SA grew by 0.2% in 2014 before falling by 6.8% in 2015, as a result. This has been registered as the biggest decline ever experienced in SA in the last six years.
But still, the tourism sector contributes largely to boosting the economy and reducing poverty, which ultimately contributes to South Africa being a better place to visit. Similarly, the hotel industry in SA plays a vital role in growing the tourism sector.
In October 2015, visa regulations in SA were eased and the Department of Home Affairs is in the process of introducing further amendments to improve regulations. The relaxation of the visa regulations has played a major role in reversing the negative effects and helping the country’s tourism sector to recover. This resulted in an encouraging recovery in January 2016 as the tourism sector reached a new record, with over a million tourists arriving in the country for the first time ever.
“Although the South African economy has weakened considerably, the overall outlook for hotels in South Africa is expected to remain positive,” says Pietro Calicchio, industry leader of hospitality and gambling, PwC Southern Africa.
“The devaluation of the rand and the relaxation of certain visa regulations have had a positive impact on the tourism industry in South Africa, making the country a more attractive tourism destination.
“This has also had a positive impact on the number of foreign visitors to South Africa over the past six months,” added Calicchio.
According to PWC’s study in Hotels outlook: 2016–2020, it details the trends of international visitors to SA, highlighting the major difference that occurred between 2015 and 2016. This being International visitor numbers to South Africa decreased by 6.8% in 2015. However, there was an increase towards the end of 2015 and this trend has continued in 2016, with January 2016 international visitor numbers breaching the one million mark for the first time. The outlook for 2016 is positive, with international visitor numbers up by 16.8% for the months of January to April 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015.
Outlook for 2020
Pietro Calicchio also told Traveller24, “In the countries covered (South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya and Tanzania), there is continued expansion in the hotels sector with more hotels either under construction or planned during the next five years. We are also seeing more of the international hotel brands opening up hotels in Africa when one looks at the hotels planned or currently under construction.”
By 2020, an estimated 17.8 million travellers would have travelled to SA. This suggests an estimated 4.5% multi-factorial yearly increase from last year, moving forward.
With regards to the overall hotel room revenue in SA, the revenue is estimated to grow at a 7.8% multi-factorial annual rate, resulting in R20.6 billion in 2020, where in 2015, the annual rate rested at R14.2 billion.
Extreme past occurrences
Source: http://traveller24.news24.com
Cape Town – South Africa’s tourism industry is predicted to grow steadily as the number of foreign visitors into the greater African continent is expected to increase according to a projected outcome for 2020.
Though the continent has had its fair share of challenges, specifically in SA, in 2015 alone, there was a reduction in the global economy and in SA, the amendments to the country’s visa regulations had a major impact on both the hotel industry and tourism sector.
The tourism sector of SA grew by 0.2% in 2014 before falling by 6.8% in 2015, as a result. This has been registered as the biggest decline ever experienced in SA in the last six years.
But still, the tourism sector contributes largely to boosting the economy and reducing poverty, which ultimately contributes to South Africa being a better place to visit. Similarly, the hotel industry in SA plays a vital role in growing the tourism sector.
In October 2015, visa regulations in SA were eased and the Department of Home Affairs is in the process of introducing further amendments to improve regulations. The relaxation of the visa regulations has played a major role in reversing the negative effects and helping the country’s tourism sector to recover. This resulted in an encouraging recovery in January 2016 as the tourism sector reached a new record, with over a million tourists arriving in the country for the first time ever.
“Although the South African economy has weakened considerably, the overall outlook for hotels in South Africa is expected to remain positive,” says Pietro Calicchio, industry leader of hospitality and gambling, PwC Southern Africa.
“The devaluation of the rand and the relaxation of certain visa regulations have had a positive impact on the tourism industry in South Africa, making the country a more attractive tourism destination.
“This has also had a positive impact on the number of foreign visitors to South Africa over the past six months,” added Calicchio.
According to PWC’s study in Hotels outlook: 2016–2020, it details the trends of international visitors to SA, highlighting the major difference that occurred between 2015 and 2016. This being International visitor numbers to South Africa decreased by 6.8% in 2015. However, there was an increase towards the end of 2015 and this trend has continued in 2016, with January 2016 international visitor numbers breaching the one million mark for the first time. The outlook for 2016 is positive, with international visitor numbers up by 16.8% for the months of January to April 2016 when compared to the same period in 2015.
Outlook for 2020
Pietro Calicchio also told Traveller24, “In the countries covered (South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya and Tanzania), there is continued expansion in the hotels sector with more hotels either under construction or planned during the next five years. We are also seeing more of the international hotel brands opening up hotels in Africa when one looks at the hotels planned or currently under construction.”
By 2020, an estimated 17.8 million travellers would have travelled to SA. This suggests an estimated 4.5% multi-factorial yearly increase from last year, moving forward.
With regards to the overall hotel room revenue in SA, the revenue is estimated to grow at a 7.8% multi-factorial annual rate, resulting in R20.6 billion in 2020, where in 2015, the annual rate rested at R14.2 billion.
Extreme past occurrences
China had the greater decrease of 46% in 2014, while India came in second at 23.5%. This comes as no surprise since China and India are the top two countries with the largest population in the world (China has the world’s largest population at 1.4 billion, followed by India 1.3 billion).
However, the UK still holds the award for the largest source of visitors to South Africa with staggering numbers of 407 486 who chose to travel to SA in 2015, showing an increase of 1.4% to the previous year (The UK’s population is estimated at 64.1m people).
However, the percentage of Chinese tourists coming to SA has increased rapidly since then. Some 65 million Chinese are expected to travel abroad this year, that’s equivalent to the UK population and some 10 million more than the SA population according to the latest statistics by SA Tourism.
China had the greater decrease of 46% in 2014, while India came in second at 23.5%. This comes as no surprise since China and India are the top two countries with the largest population in the world (China has the world’s largest population at 1.4 billion, followed by India 1.3 billion).
However, the UK still holds the award for the largest source of visitors to South Africa with staggering numbers of 407 486 who chose to travel to SA in 2015, showing an increase of 1.4% to the previous year (The UK’s population is estimated at 64.1m people).
However, the percentage of Chinese tourists coming to SA has increased rapidly since then. Some 65 million Chinese are expected to travel abroad this year, that’s equivalent to the UK population and some 10 million more than the SA population according to the latest statistics by SA Tourism.
Source :Tourism Tattler.com
Marriott International announced on Tuesday that is will be rebranding Protea Hotels to capitalize on the travel aspirations of Africa’s growing middle class and the increased presence of international hotel brands in Africa.
The rebranding includes an updated and modernized logo and the “by Marriott” endorsement, the group said in a statement.
The brand is now officially Protea Hotels by Marriott ®.
Marriott says its endorsement of Protea Hotels signifies a turning point for the South African-based brand, which Marriott acquired in 2014.
‘Enhancing Protea Hotels’ brand strength’
Having successfully integrated Protea’s systems and operations, Marriott says it is enhancing Protea Hotels’ brand strength and awareness through its endorsement, stating the rebranding represents it’s long-term commitment to evolving Protea Hotels from a strong regional player to a globally recognized brand with international appeal by leveraging the power of Marriott.
Additionally, the endorsement will strengthen Marriott’s awareness in Southern Africa, through Protea’s footprint in the region.
“Travel to and within Sub Saharan Africa continues to grow at an impressive rate, and Protea Hotels by Marriott® is well positioned to capitalize on and drive this trend,” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.
“Consumer research conducted in South Africa in 2015 confirms that the endorsement of Protea Hotels by a large, international brand company such as Marriott would elevate brand perception and preference, further supporting the strategic move to endorse the brand.”
‘Africa hotel industry grows nearly 30% in one year’
Traveller24 recently reported that new figures from the annual W Hospitality Group Hotel Chain Development Pipeline Survey, that indicate planned hotel rooms in Africa has soared to 64 000 in 365 hotels, up almost 30% on the previous year. The increase is largely down to strong growth in sub-Saharan Africa, which is up 42.1% on 2015 and is significantly outstripping North Africa which achieved only a modest 7.5% pipeline increase this year.
‘Africa is poised for major growth’
The growth of Africa’s business and specifically its Tourism and Leisure sectors has been anticipated for a number of years now – but in 2016 its seems a lot of bricks and mortar are going into making it a reality.
Added to this, recent search data shared by Cheapflights shows that tourism – not business travel, actual holiday-making – is driving more travel out of South Africa with traditional holiday destinations dominating the top ten cities and top ten countries for travel from South Africa across the African continent.
Mauritius, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, the Seychelles and Morocco all sit within the top ten searched African destinations for South Africans.