South Africa aims to educate

Winchester Mansions Hotel in Cape Town will educate the travel trade about what South Africa has to offer at Arabian Travel Market (ATM).

The hotel will use ATM to promote itself and the Lalibela Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, both part of a four-property package called ‘The Classic Cape Route'.

"We firmly believe that the level of awareness of the South Africa product in the Middle East market is still very low, so to educate the trade and individuals is, in our opinion, of the utmost importance.

This is what we will be at ATM to do," said Nils Heckscher, managing director, Winchester Mansions Hotel Cape Town.

The 11-day Classic Cape Route package includes car hire, three nights at the Winchester Mansions Hotel Cape Town, two nights at The Devon Valley Hotel in Winelands, three nights at the Belvidere Manor Hotel and two nights at the Lalibela Game Reserve and is priced at US $1578 per person until September 30.

"We are hoping to inform and enthuse visitors to the show about our properties and the Classic Cape Route package we offer.

"The building of long-term relationships is paramount for us as we are all individually run properties where the word relationship is paramount," said Heckscher.

Both Lalibela Game Reserve marketing director Vernon Wait and Heckscher will be attending ATM to meet agents in person.

"The fact that the most senior managers are attending the show emphasises that we mean business. We are committed and show this commitment by taking the time it requires to interact with potential partners as well as individual visitors," said Heckscher.

ATM presented an opportunity to educate the market and assist in overturning certain "misconceptions about South Africa", he added.

"These range from practical issues such as the fact that simply visiting Cape Town and experiencing a day tour of Kruger National Park is not a possibility, to deeper routed issues such as the level of sophistication of the travel industry and the issue of safety and security of visitors in our country," concluded Heckscher.

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