Issued by: Southern Africa Direct


Southern Africa Direct is working with the municipality by building and flighting programming which presents their region to potential tourists to attract interest ahead of the soccer tournament.

Taking advantage of the reach of the United Kingdom's Sky Digital channel, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has made a pre-emptive move to position itself as the South African destination of choice for British visitors to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Southern Africa Direct is working with the municipality by building and flighting programming which presents their region to potential tourists to attract interest ahead of the soccer tournament.

SA Direct launched in the United Kingdom in late 2007 and is a free-to-air television channel hosted on the Sky Digital platform and supported by an internet site. The channel offers British audiences 24 hour programming on Southern African lifestyle and culture, travel and tourism, and commerce. Already the channel is viewed by 158 000 people on Sky TV weekly, demonstrating the affinity of British audiences for the content.

According to Connie Buso, Public Relations co-ordinator at Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the United Kingdom is a prime market for the region. “We get many visitors from the UK and Southern Africa Direct has offered a unique opportunity to market our region to tourists who are looking for a relaxing holiday in beautiful surroundings,” she says.

Tourism, she continues, is a key industry in the Eastern Cape which attracts foreign investment and creates jobs. “Attracting visitors plays a big role in the city as it has many economic spinoffs,” Buso notes.

Explaining that marketing a tourist destination is resource-intensive, she says the municipality looks to maximise its investment in all initiatives. “Success as a tourism destination depends on being out there. But being seen and heard requires a substantial investment and effort.”

Getting the attention of potential tourists is pursued by the municipality through a variety of marketing efforts and Buso says the organisation prefers creative and memorable avenues like SA Direct to raise its profile.

According to Pierre van der Hoven, CEO of Digital Sky Investments which markets the channel locally, SA Direct provides an ideal platform for South African destinations to reach UK holidaymakers and business travellers. “South Africa has no shortage of prime attractions. With a massive influx of tourists anticipated in 2010 which is over and above the estimated annual XXX number of travellers from the UK every year, the country has a great opportunity to showcase its premier locations through a channel which continues to grow in popularity,” he says.

Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has come on board to promote its region to potential tourists from this affluent and adventurous demographic, continues van der Hoven.

He notes that not only does SA Direct bring a slice of Africa directly into the British living rooms, but through a converged offering, it includes a web component which provides the facilities to make bookings.

Explaining that regional or tourist entities like destination marketing organizations or tourism marketing organisation often want to create content about their region or destination but want to split expenses between all parties who will receive exposure, van der Hoven says SA Direct has a tailor made package to allow for the sharing of costs between these entities and advertisers that fall within the footprint of that tourism area.

Buso says this package sealed the deal. “With a very attractive proposal from Southern Africa Direct, we are confident that we are reaching our target audience. There was just no way we could resist the opportunity, particularly since the 2010 World Cup is just around the corner; the timing is right. We want to be at front of mind as people start planning for their visit.”

Visit our PRESS OFFICE: Southern Africa Direct is a free-to-air TV channel on the Sky platform in the UK and online. ‘Destination TV' programming provides information for those interested in visiting or building commercial links with Southern Africa.- more....

[15 Jul 2008 10:27]

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