South African Tourism welcomes media from around the world in celebration of the Mandela Centenary

AAs part of the Nelson Mandela Centenary celebrations, South African Tourism  will host  17  journalists from around  the world later this week. The journalists will  get a first-hand experience of attractions, key landmarks and sites that formed part of his life as they look into walk in the footsteps of the late former president.

These visitors from countries such as Spain, Italy, India, Brazil, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands will visit, amongst other places, the Apartheid Museum; the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory; the award-winning heritage site Liliesleaf; the Union buildings in Pretoria; the Nelson Mandela Capture Site in Kwa Zulu-Natal; Madiba’s birth province in the Eastern Cape and the Drakenstein Correctional Services in the Western Cape. 

As part of this itinerary, the journalists will also mingle, interact and talk to various South Africans who will share their life experiences with late president Mandela.

“The Mandela centenary is an  important milestone in South Africa’s history, and as we reflect on our late Former President’s legacy in a year when he  turns  100 years old, we are proud to share our beautiful country with people from around the world,” commented SA Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona

“We know Madiba’s life touched many people from all over the globe and so we continue to invite them to come experience South Africa by following in the footsteps of one of the world’s most iconic human rights advocates.”

“In South Africa, we are fortunate to not only have beautiful tourism attractions and experiences that are rich in history and heritage but also warm, welcoming people who add to the memorable experiences that any visitor can have in our country. It is vital that we use this to position tourism to grow and contribute in creating the much-needed jobs in our country,” adds Ntshona. 

South African Tourism is over a year and a half into its “5-in-5” strategy to attract an additional five million tourists by 2021, made up of four million more international arrivals and one million more domestic holiday trips. The latest tourists arrivals statistics show an increase of 2.7% for the first five months of 2018 compared to the first five months of 2017. 

“We are pleased to have these media in our country as they are critical partners in sharing the South African story with potential travellers across the world. Through these media we are able to ensure that South Africa is an attractive tourist destination for travelers from across the world  and they continue to recognise South Africa’s worth as an attractive, value-for-money destination offering a vibrant variety of tourism experiences,” concludes Ntshona. 

ENDS

For further information, contact:

Thandiwe Mathibela  at South African Tourism       

Tel: +27 11 895-3177                                

Email: thandiwe@southafrica.net  OR

Email: mediaq@southafrica.net

Note to editors:

South African Tourism  has identified 100 experiences, attractions and destinations around South Africa that have strong historical and social ties to Nelson Mandela’s life.  This showcase of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s memory can be found on the Madiba’s Journey App, which allows users to view the attractions on a map, build their itineraries and share their own journeys on social media. Visitors can also experience the emotion and relevance of each location through audio, text and image galleries. The app also offers real-time weather information, distances and details of nearby attractions.

South African Tourism is the national tourism agency responsible for the marketing of South Africa as a preferred tourist destination. It is headed up by Chief Executive Officer Mr Sisa Ntshona.