Pretoria - The number of foreign visitors (other than those from Africa) declined by almost 110 000 or 11.7% in the year to end-May.
According to Michael Tatalias, chief executive of the SA Tourism Services Association (Satsa), recreational tourism in the country has shrunk by some 40%.
"The leisure side is being killed off," he says.
Business travellers, visitors to friends and family and sports travellers keep the numbers up, but genuine holiday-makers from overseas are on the wane, Tatalias declares.
He notes that the tourism industry is not currently experiencing large-scale retrenchments because businesses are clinging to their core personnel with their eyes set on next year's World Cup soccer tournament.
"The real retrenchments will come after that." Nevertheless, fewer seasonal workers are being hired.
Matsatsi Marobe, chief executive of the Tourism Business Council, says large tourist groups, which are very price-sensitive, have dried up and all that South Africa is now seeing are well-heeled individuals travelling alone.
Yet visitors from Africa increased by some 130 000 or 4.6% over the same period.
Tatalias and Marobe both say that the South African tourism industry is not capitalising on visitors from Africa.
According to Tatalias, Satsa has asked Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk to make funds available for research so that the industry can better understand this market's needs.
"If we understand the market better we can package products for them," he points out.
Marobe claims that businesses exhibit prejudice towards travellers from Africa and this bias arises from South Africa's [Apartheid] history.
But, she continues, South African and international hotel groups do recognise Africa's potential and are making large investments.
She feels that tour operators need to change their attitudes and realise that money does not recognise skin colour.
She says the problem relates to the fact that transformation in the tourism industry is lagging, and tour operators are consequently turning a blind eye to the South African domestic market.
- Sake24.com
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