South African Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said with the launch of the annual Tourism Month commemoration that foreign arrivals to South Africa for the first four months of 2010 had risen by more than 350 000 compared to the same period in 2009.

“Our foreign arrivals continue to reflect the consistent growth of our tourism industry and I have no doubt that 2010 is going to be a very successful year. From January to April this year foreign arrivals totalled more than 2.5 million, compared to approximately 2.2 million in 2009. This represents growth of 16.3%,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.

“Foreign arrivals are very important to our industry and we expect 2010 to be a strong year in this regard, amongst others due to the World Cup.

We have always understood, however, that the backbone of any tourism industry is its domestic market. We will continue to promote the richness of our destination to South African travellers and during Tourism Month we have a particular focus on showcasing our local tourism offerings,” the Minister said.

Approximately 14.6 million adult South Africans undertook about 30 million domestic trips in 2009, with a total annual spend of more than R22 billion. In 2009, 75 percent of all tourist volume in South Africa was derived from domestic tourist, making it by far the biggest segment of the industry. It is also less volatile than foreign tourism and offers the industry and the country’s economy a steady income stream.

“South African Tourism’s (SAT) Sho’t Left campaign is specifically aimed at making travelling more accessible and affordable for all South Africans. Over the last six years we have invested approximately R70 million in domestic marketing, including television, radio, print and outdoor advertising and events.

This significant investment reiterates the fact that we are serious about strengthening domestic tourism as the foundation of our industry.“During Tourism Month we are again reminding South Africans what a fantastic destination our country is to explore. We want to encourage people to explore for themselves the new and upgraded attractions and facilities in cities across our country and experience the investments in the industry.

The more we travel, the better ambassadors we become for our country and the better hosts we are to foreign visitors,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.

“South Africa’s tourism industry has outperformed the international trend, but we have nonetheless seen the effects of difficult economic conditions on our figures, particularly in terms of foreign and local tourists undertaking shorter trips or fewer trips per year. It is therefore more important than ever that our industry remains innovative in order to encourage people to keep travelling.

South Africa celebrates Tourism Month annually in September and will also commemorate World Tourism Day on 27 September, with this year’s theme being Tourism and Biodiversity. The theme provides a unique opportunity to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity to tourism and the role of sustainable tourism in the conservation of life on Earth.

Says Thandiwe January_McLean, CEO of SAT: “In South Africa, the majority of our tourism offerings are rich in biodiversity. It is important for each and every South African to preserve this in order to ensure that we have a sustainable tourism offering.”