(MENAFN- Gulf Times) South Africa has much more than just safari and game resorts to offer tourists. But these two experiences are rewarding enough alone, letting you get up and close with nature. The Embassy of South Africa in Doha in co-operation with &Beyond Resorts and South African Tourism, held a tourism workshop recently to highlight the tourism and travel potential and appeal that South Africa possesses.
The "Under African Skies" event was attended by some of the major travel and tourism companies and agencies from Qatar. Representatives from South Africa's Trade Relations and Global South Africa Tourism besides some of the biggest tourist resort operators in South Africa briefed the attendees about opportunities South Africa offers.
Through videos and photographs, the &Beyond representatives demonstrated a tourist's day at one of their game viewing resorts or safaris. A game ranger presented his experience of guiding the tourists through the game ranges and safari parks and how it is done with some of the best approaches.
Saad Cachalia, the Ambassador of South Africa to Qatar, who was himself present throughout the four-hour long event, appreciated the &Beyond representatives' work.
"Incredible. He told you about just half of the difficulty they go through. You saw that the lions begin to understand that this man is not going to use his gun and they develop this rapport. It is incredible and it is a thing that they impart to their guests," the ambassador told the audience, referring to Ranger Justin's talk about a ranger's training and their conduct during the trips.
Ambassador Cachalia said South Africa has lot of offer to tourists form Qatar. And it is a country that caters to all the 'halal' needs of the tourists. "You know [even] the water bottles in South Africa have the halal stamps. It shows how strict they are about halal," said the ambassador.
He assured the tour operators and trade from Qatar that the embassy will help them in all possible ways to promote South Africa. The ambassador said this workshop will be followed by more interactions and events about tourism in South Africa.
Edwin Steyn, Group Sales Manager, Bateleur House, &Beyond, apprised the attendees of the diversity in experiences that South Africa exclusively offers to tourists.
"Whether someone is interested in adventure, shopping or luxurious spas, South Africa can offer. And that is what makes it incredible," Steyn told Community.
"The people who have travelled to South Africa and experienced the warm local hospitality tend to come back and experience the other regions," he added.
For a general all around experience, he recommended to start off at Johannesberg, spending two days over there to experience the rich culture that is in and around the city.
"I would then go into the game viewing areas depending on the time of the year. I would either do the northern section close to the Cougar Park area or you can go down into the eastern side of South Africa," said the tourist resort representative.
The best of time of the year for game viewing, he said, is in the middle of the year, between May and end of August.
However, if you come at the different times of the year, for instance, September, you see spring blossom in the fields and there is a different feel to the animals and from November onward you would see the young ones. All that is incredible to see, said Steyn.
Similarly, the November to end of February period is also phenomenal in terms of travel experience, as it is outside the peak season. "After that I would definitely recommend you to go and finish with something that really tickles your interest, whether it is Cape Town for three days. There are various other regions in South Africa," he added.
In South Africa, he said, they work very closely with the traders in putting together tourist packages. Long ago, there was a popular approach to putting packages together and then offering discounts.
"But we now try and do packages that cover all of your flights and other needs within it. Instead of giving you a discount on the entire package, we give you a discount on the flight part, in many cases, including all of your flights internally," said Steyn.
At &Beyond, they have three cares: the care for wild, the care for land and care for people, deeply entrenched in the company, said the sales manager. When a tourist visits them, one of these goals will definitely resonate with him or her - whether it is the community work they do around properties, wildlife relocation or care of land, it will touch the tourist's heart, according to the company.
Sadiq Dindar, Manager Trade Relations Global South Africa Tourism, said that they engage with the travel and tour operators first when they enter a market. The idea is to equip them with the information about the destinations before they access the consumers.
"There has been some interesting feedback from the operators. From the culture point of view there were a lot of questions around halal goods and how South Africa can cater. There was also discussion around how this destination is becoming accessible through airlift from this market," Dindar told Community at the conclusion of the workshop.
"We currently have in excess of 3,000 seats being operated by Qatar, Etihad and Emirates; 7 flights a day. So I think it is important that trade understands that the airlift is good so that people can get in and out of South Africa easily," said the trade relation manager.
He said tourism industry in South Africa has been constantly increasing and has huge influx from Germany, India, Brazil and many other countries. "There is a lot that South Africa can offer apart from just the Safari experience. We cater for children, families, for adventure tourism and for much more," said Dindar.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.