By Ross Volk.
South Africa’s tourism industry is entering an important new phase. The country welcomed 10.5 million international tourists, while travel from across the African continent continues to grow strongly alongside a steady recovery in long-haul markets.
With government targeting 15 million international visitors by 2030, the opportunity is not simply to attract more people, but to think differently about how we move them, where they go and how much value their journeys create.
This requires a broader perspective on tourism. South Africa offers an exceptional range of experiences, spanning wildlife, cities, food, culture, heritage and coastline. The challenge and opportunity now is to integrate these assets into seamless travel journeys that align with changing consumer preferences. Cruise tourism is a compelling example of how this can be achieved.
Travel is becoming more about the journey
Travellers are increasingly looking for value, convenience and variety. They want to experience more without necessarily adding complexity to their holiday. Cruising responds to this shift by bringing accommodation, dining, entertainment and multiple destinations into one journey.
For South Africa, that creates an opportunity to think beyond individual destinations and towards connected travel experiences. A visitor can arrive in Durban, explore KwaZulu-Natal and then continue by sea to destinations across the region, without repeatedly changing hotels or navigating long transfers. For international visitors, a cruise can also form part of a longer South African holiday, creating opportunities to stay before or after their cruise and experience more of what the country has to offer.
This matters as regional tourism becomes increasingly important. African travellers are already a major part of South Africa’s visitor economy, while long-haul visitors often stay for between eight and 14 days. We should be looking at ways to encourage all of these travellers to experience more of South Africa and the wider region during their journey.
Our coastline is a tourism asset
South Africa has more than 2,500 kilometres of coastline, yet much of our tourism story has traditionally been built around what happens on land. Our coastline and ports should be seen as gateways into the broader tourism economy.
Durban demonstrates what is possible. When a cruise ship arrives, the economic activity extends well beyond the terminal. Passengers use transport, visit attractions, eat at restaurants, shop and take excursions. Some stay in hotels before or after their cruise. This creates opportunities across the tourism value chain, including for local businesses, tour operators, guides, retailers and other service providers.
The ship may bring the visitor, but the destination creates the value. That is why cruise tourism should not be viewed as a standalone part of the tourism industry. It is connected to the same businesses, infrastructure and communities that support tourism more broadly.
Connectivity will determine our next phase of growth
Cruise tourism also highlights a wider issue facing the sector: the tourism experience is only as strong as the connections between its different parts. Ports need to work with airports, roads, transport providers, hotels, attractions and tourism authorities to make the visitor journey as seamless as possible.
As regional travel grows, there is an opportunity to develop stronger tourism corridors across Southern Africa. Travellers increasingly think about experiences rather than borders, and our tourism offering should make it easier for them to move between destinations. That requires investment in infrastructure, efficient passenger processes and collaboration between the public and private sectors.
This is not only about cruise passengers. Better connectivity benefits every traveller and strengthens South Africa’s competitiveness as a destination.
Growth must reach beyond the biggest operators
Tourism directly supports close to one million jobs in South Africa, making it an important contributor to economic growth and employment. As we look to increase visitor numbers, we should also be asking who benefits from that growth.
The cruise experience is delivered by many people beyond the ship. It includes the guide introducing a visitor to a destination, the driver providing transport, the restaurant welcoming passengers, the artisan selling a locally made product and the small tourism business creating an experience worth remembering.
Creating stronger opportunities for these businesses to participate in the tourism value chain will be essential if growth is to have a wider economic impact. Large operators have a role to play, but so do government, destination authorities and communities in creating the conditions for participation.
A bigger tourism story
South Africa does not need to choose between safari, city breaks, beach holidays, business travel or cruising. We need to build a tourism proposition where these experiences complement one another.
Cruising gives us another way to showcase South Africa, connect our coastline to the wider region and create value across the tourism economy. At MSC Cruises, we see ourselves as part of that ecosystem. We can bring ships, passengers and connectivity, but the strength of the destination depends on many partners working together.
South Africa already has the destinations, experiences and people that travellers want. The next step is to make it easier for visitors to experience more of them. Cruising is one way to do that and it deserves a place in South Africa’s tourism story.
Ross Volk is Managing Director, MSC Cruises South Africa.