Chennai: South Africa, showing signs of recovery from Ebola outbreak, hopes to woo Indian visitors by invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s name and offering Indian cuisine on a platter prepared by South Africans.
Its new campaign will orient towards highlighting Mahatma Gandhi’s life in Durban. “Our cuisine is influenced by Indian curries as well and a lot of South Africans, not necessarily of Indian origin, can cook good Indian cuisine,” said Derek Hanekom, South African Tourism Minister, during a tourism promotion campaign.
The country, which had received over 80,000 Indian visitors last year, suffered a setback to its tourism from India, after its national carrier, South African Airways, owing to shortage of aircraft, stopped direct flights from Mumbai to South Africa.
This has coerced many Indians to opt for alternatives like Emirates or Qatar with one-stop flights.
Interestingly, South Africa has even offered vegetarian options to Indian travellers. The country boasts of many Indian restaurants. Nevertheless, visiting SA is still a challenge due to its visa regulations.
In Europe and North America, for instance, it is simpler due to visa-free travel between nations, which is not so in Africa.
“To Indians, our country is also perceived as an elite and expensive destination just like European countries, but in recent months a weakening Rand has allowed more Indians to visit and spend more,” an official said. And while on an outbound trip, Indian travellers like to visit several countries.
