lect around £5.1m from the voluntary tourism levy for the new marketing campaign, but airlines had refused to contribute to it, which has shaved around £2m off the final total.
However, most major hotel groups have been very willing to adopt the levy.
The first campaign will kick off in October this year with campaigns in the UK national press and magazines. The second will follow in January and February next year.
The tourism body has now gathered its long-awaited marketing funding from a combination of sources – £5.1m has come from the government, £5.1m from South African businesses and £3.1m from the new 1% tourism levy.
Final confirmation of the budget is expected this month.
Michael Farr, executive director of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, said SAT had recognised it was in competition with long-haul destinations like Australia and the US for business and had to take on these rivals with marketing campaigns.
SAT has given the UK, Germany and the US category A status, and France, Benelux and Italy secondary status as sources for tourists. SATexpects 336,000 UK travellers to visit South Africa this year with this figure set to rise to 447,000 by 2002.
South Africa tourism chiefs are lobbying the government to replace the voluntary 1% tourism levy with a mandatory departure tax for travellers.
The move is part of South Africa Tourism’s plans to further further boost its marketing funds. Some £13.4m has been allocated already for a two-pronged advertising campaign targeting the UK, Germany and the US.
David Frost, advisor to the tourism minister Pallo Jordan, said it was in negotiations with the finance department to introduce the tax. A decision is not expected until after the country’s elections next month.
Frost said the government had originally expected to collect around £5.1m from the voluntary tourism levy for the new marketing campaign, but airlines had refused to contribute to it, which has shaved around £2m off the final total.
However, most major hotel groups have been very willing to adopt the levy.
The first campaign will kick off in October this year with campaigns in the UK national press and magazines. The second will follow in January and February next year.
The tourism body has now gathered its long-awaited marketing funding from a combination of sources – £5.1m has come from the government, £5.1m from South African businesses and £3.1m from the new 1% tourism levy.
Final confirmation of the budget is expected this month.
Michael Farr, executive director of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, said SAT had recognised it was in competition with long-haul destinations like Australia and the US for business and had to take on these rivals with marketing campaigns.
SAT has given the UK, Germany and the US category A status, and France, Benelux and Italy secondary status as sources for tourists. SATexpects 336,000 UK travellers to visit South Africa this year with this figure set to rise to 447,000 by 2002.