A partnership between TKZN and Tourvest, a leading destination management company and tour operator for the German market, has resulted in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) hosting 100 top travel agents from Germany and neighbouring countries in the province for the first time.

The agents arrived on the, 30 April 2015, as part of the DERTOUR Laenderspecial “Super 100” incentive and training programme for travel agents from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and neighbouring countries in Europe.

Sixty of the 100 agents will take the scenic drive from Johannesburg alongside the majestic Drakensberg Mountains, and sleep over on the Midlands Meander, giving them a taste of the self-drive package that is already on offer for their customers back home. Forty of the agents will fly directly to King Shaka International Airport, where they will be welcomed in true Zulu Kingdom style.

TKZN Chief Executive Officer, Ndabo Khoza, said, “We are determined to position KwaZulu-Natal as a global tourism destination and such partnerships bring us closer to that goal. These top agents will spend three days in workshops with local trade partners, strengthening relationships that will ensure that we continue to see international tourists coming to KZN. Last year, we saw charters landing directly at King Shaka International Airport from Poland, and those are a result of partnerships similar to these.”

The MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Michael Mabuyakhulu, who will welcome the guests at a Gala Dinner, said, “Germany is currently our third non-African key source market, and according to our Tourism Master Plan, Europe is a key growth focus area for KZN. In 2013, we received over 42 000 tourists from Germany and we are determined to grow those numbers. KwaZulu-Natal has what the German market is looking for, the wildlife, the beach, culture, history and lifestyle. This partnership enables us to showcase those offerings to the agents first-hand, as they are the first point of contact with any potential traveller. This way they will become our ambassadors to their customers when they return home.”

TDM is a leading inbound tour operator with more 30 years of experience in tourism. They have partnered with DERTOUR, one of the largest German-based tour operators and market leaders in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and South America.
Commenting on their role as TDM on this partnership, Chief Executive Officer, Martin West said” The partnership will for the first time ever bring a material number of German agents to KZN to admire the highlights of the province. It has the potential to materially increase the overall visitor numbers to South Africa and this province in particular. For Tourvest, this is extremely important to underpin its efforts to broaden the geographical distribution of its overall inbound volumes to South Africa in conjunction with DERTOUR.”

“TDM has been instrumental in assisting us to secure the hosting of the Super 100 for KZN, and we are confident that the province will see an increase in international visitors from their markets, as has been the case with previous hosts like China, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland. Those countries have each seen increases of over 50% in sales,” concluded Khoza.
This partnership between TKZN and TDM is part of the ongoing efforts to increase international visitor numbers to the province. According to statistics received from South African Tourism, KZN currently receives close to 900 000 international visitors, and initiatives such as these will go a long way towards bringing even more tourists to the Zulu Kingdom.

Note to the news editors:

About Tourism KwaZulu-Natal

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal was established in 1996 and is responsible for the development, promotion and marketing of tourism into and within the province, both domestically and internationally. The organisation is an entity that reports to the provincial Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

Social links to Tourism KwaZulu-Natal:
Website: https://www.zulu.org.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KZNTourism
Hashtags: #GottaLuvKZN
About Tourvest Destination Management (TDM)
TDM is a division of Tourvest Holdings (Pty) Ltd, sub-Saharan Africa's dominant tourism group.