Tag Archives: Indian Premier League

Jonty Rhodes to bat for team SA Tourism in India!

Jonty Rhodes, former South African cricketer and now coach for the Indian Premier League, has been appointed as a tourism ambassador for South Africa in India, reports Business Line. The announcement comes as part of a high level tourism delegation currently visiting five Indian cities to bat for tourism business.   Tourism from India to South Africa grew by 18% to 85000 in 2011, and the target is 100000 Indian tourists in 2014, reports Southern African Tourism Update.

SA Tourism Country Head for SA Tourism in India, Hanneli Slabber, is largely responsible for the great success achieved in the Indian market, with her enthusiastic marketing programmes, having got to know this market well in the short time that she has been based in India.  Market research has shown that Indian tourists to our country are more likely to come from Mumbai and Delhi, but visitors from cities such as Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore are above average holiday spenders.  The SA Tourism advertising budget in India grew by 50 % last year, and is expected to grow by another 50 % this year.

Cape Town Routes Unlimited appears to be one of only few Cape representative attending the India road show, with Cape Town Tourism visible by its absence.  The 132 South African tourism product and service representatives of 62 products has doubled in one year, and includes Spier, Pepper Club Luxury Hotel & Spa, Cape Royale Luxury Hotel, Montagu Country Hotel, Grootbos Nature Reserve, hotel and safari lodge groups, and tour operators, visiting Mumbai, New Dehli, Bangalore, Pune, and Chennai. Indian tour operators representing MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) as well as leisure tourism product owners and managers are attending the road show events. ‘Learn South Africa’ training programs have been hosted for 1500 travel agents throughout India in the past two years, and top operators have been flown to South Africa to show them the country.

Even national Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, is attending the India road show.  Given the size of the Indian population, and that it is expected to be one of the three largest global economies by 2050, this emerging tourism market is of great importance for South Africa, the Minister said.  For our country, India is the 7th largest source market, and marketing in India focuses on fashion, food, sport, film, and wine.  Nine direct flights from Johannesburg to India are available per week. In November 1000 delegates will attend the Travel Agents Federation of India Convention in Durban, a huge boost for the city and country to win this bid.

Provincial Tourism Minister Alan Winde said he is confident that the Western Cape and Cape Town would be top of mind in the presentations about South African in India, one of the BRICS markets being targeted by Cape Town Routes Unlimited. Ms Slabber added that South Africa has become a popular tourism destination for the Indian market. Not only do the road shows expose the diversity of the tourism products of our country, but they also help to attain “market insights for future product development.  With the burgeoning development, increasing purchasing power and flourishing travel aspirations of Indians, we wish to expand our reach in these promising markets through our road shows and advertising and marketing campaigns. We will continue to invest strongly in our marketing efforts and initiatives to promote South Africa across various consumer segments”, she said. Cape Town Routes Unlimited CEO Calvyn Gilfellan praised the friendly reception to the Western Cape representatives from the Indian travel agents, who are ‘really selling Cape Town and the Western Cape vigorously’.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage

Triple boost to economy

The three major sport events taking place in the the country in the next three months, starting at the end of this week, could inject R 4 billion into the economy, according to economist Mike Schussler, reports the Cape Argus.

The Indian Premier League cricket tournament starts batting in Cape Town on 18 April, and continues with 58 matches in total around the country, until May.   The first two matches in Cape Town are sold out already.

At the end of May the British and Irish Lions rugby tour kicks off its ten-match series in Rustenburg, continuing into June.   Tickets for the first three matches are sold out already.

On 14 June the Confederations Cup gets the ball rolling as a  “warm-up” to the 2010 World Cup.  Ticket sales have been slow, but last week more than 70 000 tickets were sold, representing about half the ticket sales.

Some economists forecast that the effect of the three sport events will be large enough to protect South Africa from the worst effects of the global credit crunch.

Indian summer in Cape Town

Seven of the 58 Indian Premier League (IPL) twenty 20 cricket matches, including the opening match, will take place in Cape Town.

Cape Town Tourism will be using the IPL matches as a marketing platform for Cape Town, targeting cricket fans from Durban and India.  

The Cape Minstrels will welcome the players and their fans at Cape Town International airport.   The 2010 World Cup mascot Zakumi will be present at the Newlands matches, and photographs taken with Zakumi can be posted on the Cape Town Tourism website, to win tickets to the 27 April Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians game.

The dates for the Cape Town matches are as follows:

  1. April 18: Opening ceremony followed by Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings.
  2. April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers; Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab.
  3. April 22: Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers.
  4. April 25: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings.
  5. April 26: Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab.
  6. April 27: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians.

Tourism double score

The tourism industry celebrated good news on two fronts yesterday  –  a 1 % percentage point drop in the interest rate, and the announcement that the 2009 Indian Premier League cricket matches will be hosted in South Africa from 18 April – 24 May.

The Governor of the Reserve Bank Tito Mboweni announced the drop in the interest rate, bringing the interest rate down to 13 %, its lowest level since June 2007.   The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee will be meeting monthly from now onwards, paving the way for regular rate cuts in future.

England lost to South Africa in hosting the Indian Premier League tournament, which had to be shifted away from India due to safety concerns.   The Indian government felt that it could not guarantee the safety of the players due to elections being held in India during April and May, given the attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Mumbai in November.   South Africa was chosen mainly due to concerns over the weather in England in April, and the county cricket season being underway in the UK at the same time, reports Sky News.

Twelve South African cricketers, including Graeme Smith, Morne Morkel, Tyrone Henderson, JP Duminy, Ryan McLaren, Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, have been contracted to Indian teams for the 2009 Indian Premier League season, reports www.southafrica.info.

Later this year, South Africa will host the 2009 cricket Champions Trophy, from 24 September – 5 October, at the Wanderers and Centurion stadia in Johannesburg and Pretoria, respectively.   South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates will compete for the trophy.