Date:28/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/28/stories/2008082850790200.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

SA to explore tie-up with Indian tour operators

Special Correspondent

Attractive packages on offer for film industry

HYDERABAD: Considering the growth potential of tourism industry in South Africa, the country has decided to showcase more and more destinations to lure people.

The industry contributes 8 per cent of the country’s GDP, according to Medha Sampat, country head of South African Tourism in India.

The South African representatives of travel and hospitality industries would interact with over 100 tour operators from India here to explore business tie-ups.

Tourists flow

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Ms. Sampat said that South Africa attracted 80 lakh tourists, of whom 62,000 were from India.

The target for 2010 was one crore tourists. She came here as part of the fourth edition of ‘InCountry Famil’, an annual tourism promotion campaign in the country. The three editions were held in Goa (twice) and Jaipur earlier. At least 60 per cent of tourists to South Africa were from Mumbai and Delhi.

She disclosed that South Africa was offering attractive packages for film industry to shoot. Quite a few Hindi films and some Tamil and Telugu movies were shot in South African locations.