Media Release. Immediate. 20 January 2010. Mossel Bay Tourism

Mossel Bay’s Marketing Promises Business Out Of The Netherlands

With the Continent groaning under the weight of heavy snow falls, it would seem at first glance that Mossel Bay Tourism’s European marketing season couldn’t have kicked off at a worse time – and yet the results of the first consumer show of the year (Vakantiebeurs 2010) indicate that many people are keen to visit South Africa – and Mossel Bay especially – both this year and during 2011.

Despite the weather, 117,335 people visited the 1,600 exhibitors from 160 countries who stood up at the show this year. The six day long Vakantiebeurs, which bills itself as the Holiday Trade Fair, attracted about 20,000 tourism professionals, and is both the biggest consumer travel fair in the world, and the largest trade fair in the Benelux region.

“Although the gate was down from 132,961 in 2009, the quality of the enquiries we received remained high,” said Mossel Bay Tourism’s Chief Operations Officer, Marcia Holm, who attended the show on the town’s behalf.

“The theme for 2010 was ‘Meet The Locals,’ and was aimed at establishing personal contact between exhibitors and visitors – and this slotted in perfectly with the trends that we experienced on the exhibition floor.

“We found that the people we spoke to are ready and willing to travel, but, ironically, that the biggest constraint at the moment seems to be the FIFA  World Cup. People seem to think that they could be subjected to price gouging, and that prices could be inflated because of the event – although many of them said that this happens in every country that hosts these large events, and that this isn’t a criticism of South Africa alone.

“Importantly, though, the Hollanders are very sure of where and when they want to travel, and they all said that they were prepared to come to South Africa before or after the World Cup, or that they would wait and travel next year,” said Ms. Holm.

She said, however, that the 2010 World Cup had created enormous awareness of South Africa in the Netherlands – with as many as 90% of the citizens of the region now aware of South Africa as a destination.

“This, of course, cannot be bought with money,” said Ms. Holm.

“Importantly, the economic climate in the Netherlands is better than it was at this time last year, and SA Tourism hopes that the country will at least hold its own in this market – which is better than a negative growth, but, naturally, not what we’d really like to see.

“However, the fact that this has been a very successful show holds promise for the future,” she said.

As part of her European tour, Ms. Holm also attended a South African Tourism workshop, where she interviewed approximately one hundred travel agents who, she said, “showed a lot of interest in Mossel Bay.”

“There is a definite hunger for knowledge, and a need for good contacts in the travel industry in South Africa, because, whilst the internet is an important source of information for travellers and potential travellers, people still feel safest when making arrangements with people they’ve met personally – those people with whom they’ve built strong working relationships, and whom they feel they can trust,” said Ms. Holm

“This is the reason why workshops and overseas shows like the Vakantiebeurs are so vital for any destination that’s trying to grow its tourism economy,” she said.

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Tags: mossel bay, South Africa, tourism, Vakantiebeurs, Visit