News

South Africa tourism industry chiefs recruit celebrities to boost ‘fly-drive’ holiday bookings

TV presenter Maya Jama, Instagram sensation Alice Liveing and vlogger Saunders Carmichael-Brown are fronting a campaign to encourage travel agents to sell more fly-drive trips to South Africa.

The celebrity trio have helped launch the new digital campaign by embarking on a 10-day road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

South Africa’s tourist board is trying to push for wider geographical spread across all nine of the country’s provinces.

Tolene Van der Merwe, South African tourism hub head in UK & Ireland, said: “The fly-drive product is woven throughout our current agent training – it’s important for us to let the trade know the best driving routes and the range of experiences their customers can enjoy.”

He added the tourism board hopes to attract five million additional visitors within the next five years following the celebrity-led campaign.

On Monday the three stars set off from Johannesburg in the north to Durban on the east coast, before heading along the famous Garden Route to Cape Town.

The trip will cover a total of 1,386 miles over 10 days.

The adventure will see the stars enjoy a host of memorable experiences – showcasing everything from food and wine, to cities and culture, to daredevil encounters.

Share article

View Comments

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.