World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is delighted to confirm South African Tourism as its exclusive partner for Meridian Club, the industry’s only global buyers club.
South African Tourism plans to use its sponsorship of Meridian Club to keep the country at the forefront of the worldwide industry following its hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
It was also the exclusive partner for Meridian Cub last year, giving it the ideal opportunity to promote South African tourism to global buyers immediately following the World Cup.
Meridian Club members must have direct responsibility for purchasing travel, such as a buyer for a tour operator looking to purchase product from exhibitors to put in its brochures, or a contractor for an online travel agent looking for experiences and excursions. A strict selection process is in place to ensure that only the most senior industry buyers are granted membership.
South African Tourism’s Chief Marketing Officer, Roshene Singh said: “We are strengthening our relationship with Meridian Cub because it gives us access to the buyers who can put our product directly in front of the traveller.
“The World Cup was a resounding success for our tourism industry. The hard work comes in the years afterwards, ensuring that our profile is maintained and adapted to suit a different type of visitor.”
At the start of August, South African Tourism launched a new global marketing initiative which will reach more than one billion people around the globe once all the elements are in place. As well as traditional print and TV exposure, the campaign also runs on South African Tourism’s homepage, www.southafrica.net, and on the social media sites as Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube, too.
World Travel Market Exhibition Director Simon Press said: “South Africa Tourism’s renewed sponsorship of the Meridian Club shows not only the value of getting access to buyers but also the country’s long-term commitment to tourism following the World Cup.”
He added that many features of this year’s World Travel Market content programme were relevant to South Africa.
“WTM’s sports tourism programme looks at how other destinations have maintained interest after a high-profile event has ended. Also, there will be many sessions devoted to social media, which is an area where South Africa is leading the way.”
