The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Stroll around South Africa, in Chennai

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Friday, Feb 08, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Stroll around South Africa, in Chennai

Sarah Hiddleston

s South Africa Tourism board plans roadshow in city

More and more Indians are discovering there is more to South Africa
People have more money to spend and the visa process has become easier

CHENNAI: Think of South Africa and think of Sun City? Not so, is the message coming from the South African Tourism board, which has a four city travel roadshow circulating India this month.

You can dive with great white sharks off Cape Town, bungee in the Oribi gorge, stalk a hunting leopard in malamala, see five million old fossils in West Coast Fossil park, ponder over different grape varieties in Stellenbosch or play golf in the Drankensburg moutains.

Wide ranging events

And the seasonal list of events is wide ranging: from the July migration of millions of sardines to the February A1 grand prix, from the September parade of maidens at the palace of the Zulu King to the January Duzi Canoe Marathon.

More and more Indians are discovering there is more to South Africa — last year nearly 20 per cent more Indians travelled there than ever before.

“South Africa’s different, Indian travellers want to move out from traditional destinations in Europe and East Asia,” says Medha Sampath, Acting Country Head, South African Tourist Board, India.

People have more money to spend and the visa process has become easier, but it’s the combination of adventure and nature that’s drawing Indian tourists, says Venkat Ramanan, Director, Diana Travels.

But there are two reasons why Indians might still want to plan their trip to South Africa carefully – food and safety. The first is becoming less and less of an issue.

“We are seeing a mushrooming of Indian restaurants in South Africa,” said Mr. Ramanan. The arrival of the new food map, a book brought out by the South African board dedicated to Indian restaurants and reviewed by celebrity chef Alexis Kriel, means that Indian tourists will be able to find these gems more easily.

Safety

The second, safety, is a concern for many. Tourist operators, both Indian and South African, are confident that South African cities are as safe as any other cities in the world.

As such they don’t recommend moving off the scheduled itinerary and sticking to the advice given by tour guides and hotel operators. “Just be careful as you would in any new country. Don’t go out loaded with jewellery like a Christmas tree, don’t travel alone,” advises Nalini Gupta, head of marketing and sales at Thomas Cook.

Despite this, South Africans themselves seem to give more cautious advice. Janferi Westwood of Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal says “The crime rate here is horrendous and I don’t think it matters who you are or where you come from. Don’t travel alone at night if you can help it. If you’re travelling by car, lock your doors and don’t travel with any valuables in plain sight. Ask locals which are the places to be avoided and heed their advice.”

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