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Johannesburg - South Africa has a brand perception problem which it needs to tackle honestly and openly, Southern Africa Tourism Services (SATSA) CEO David Frost said on Monday.
Frost was commenting on Statistics South Africa’s latest figures on tourism and migration which showed a decline in the number of tourists from some of South Africa’s key tourism markets.
The statistics showed a decline in the number of tourists from the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Australia, China, India and Spain. These countries account for 75.4% of South Africa’s overseas tourists.
He said South Africa had been on the receiving end of a plethora of negative reports about issues such as Nkandla, Marikana and the visa regulations.
READ: Fewer people visit SA
“Our brand has suffered and needs a positive and tactical marketing campaign,” Frost said. He said this needed collaborated efforts of the private and public sectors.
“If we have a brand perception problem, let us address that,” Frost said.
He said it was also important for the country to sort out the national carrier South African Airways (SAA). He said it would be difficult for the country to improve its image while the national carrier continued to experience difficulties.
