A new PR and communications collaboration has been launched by influential agencies in the travel, tourism and hospitality space. The aim of the collaboration is to put weight behind South Africa’s inbound tourism industry’s efforts to open the country to international travel and tourism. The group has indicated that the goal is as close to September 2020 as possible.
The new PR collaboration, operating under the campaign banner ‘South Africa is Travel Ready’, comprises Scribe Consulting, Lesley Simpson Communications, Take Note Reputation Management, Big Ambitions, Tribeca Public Relations and The Hunter Group.
Working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Inbound Tourism Recovery team, the ‘South Africa is Travel Ready’ PR and communications collaboration is lobbying for a phased easing of international travel restrictions so that South Africa can open for international travel and tourism.
The team says that it has already focused its sights on key themes that will support the overarching vision of an ‘open’ South Africa by September 2020, including:
- generating and distributing content around South Africa’s community and conservation assets
- a safe South Africa for staff and guests
- the value of travel and tourism to South Africa’s economy, and
- destination South Africa as the ideal post-COVID lockdown destination.
In addition to the widespread media lobbying that has already taken place both locally and internationally, the collective has set up a website and Facebook page.
According to the collaboration, the hashtag ‘#SouthAfricaisTravelReady’ is gaining traction with South Africa’s tourism sector and the collective has garnered the support of industry bodies, such as SATSA and ATTA.
The group further as that every company and individual in South Africa’s tourism industry has the power to contribute to and amplify the message that ‘South Africa is Travel Ready’.
Individuals are encouraged to do this by:
- emailing their positive destination news, images and videos (not a product push) to info@traveltosouthafrica.org
- ‘Liking’, following and sharing from its Facebook and LinkedIn accounts
- tagging their social media with the hashtag ‘#SouthAfricaisTravelReady’
- tipping the collaboration off if they see any negative or positive publicity on tourism and South Africa, and
- sharing their positive stories about Destination South Africa with their customers and encouraging them to amplify the ‘#SouthAfricaisTravelReady’ message
For more information, visit www.traveltosouthafrica.org or contact info@traveltosouthafrica.org. You can also follow ‘#SouthAfricaisTravelReady’ on Facebook or on Twitter.
