Highlighting India’s growing significance, the initiative strengthens business opportunities across leisure, corporate, and MICE travel
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], February 11: Following a successful roadshow kick-off at OTM Mumbai, South African Tourism has now successfully completed the Ahmedabad leg of its Annual India Roadshow, continuing its focused engagement with the Indian travel trade and reinforcing India’s growing importance as a key source market for South Africa. Led by Ms. Mitalee Karmarkar, Marketing and Communications Manager (MEISEA) the roadshow serves as a strategic platform for industry collaboration, insights into evolving traveller behaviour, and the identification of new business opportunities across leisure, corporate and MICE travel segments.
Featuring over 40 exhibitors presenting a diverse range of offerings, the roadshow drew participation from over 250 Indian travel trade agents in Ahmedabad. Continuing its focused engagement with the Indian market, the multi-city initiative will next move to Kolkata on 11th February 2026, further strengthening trade collaborations and encouraging outbound travel to South Africa.
Sharing her perspective at the roadshow, Ms. Karmarkar said, “India continues to be a priority growth market for South African Tourism, driven by strong interest across family travel, experiential holidays, and premium travel. Indian travellers today are also planning differently, using AI-powered tools to research and customise their trips, travelling more occasionally, and showing a growing willingness to explore destinations beyond traditional favourites. This shift in traveller behaviour reflects a more confident and curious audience, and it opens up new opportunities to highlight lesser-known regions and experiences across South Africa
She further added, “Ahmedabad has emerged as an important source market for South Africa in India, with both leisure and business travellers from the city showing a strong interest in diverse, experience-led journeys. These travellers are increasingly confident in exploring long-haul destinations and seek a balance of culture, nature, immersive experiences, and opportunities to combine business with leisure. Through the roadshow, we aim to strengthen our engagement with Ahmedabad’s travel trade and further enhance South Africa’s visibility and appeal in the market.”
Travellers from the city show a clear appetite for diverse and enriching experiences in South Africa, with a growing inclination to explore new destinations and experiences. Wildlife safaris remain a particularly strong draw among travellers. In response to this evolving traveller profile, South African Tourism is actively engaging the travel trade community to showcase the destination’s wide-ranging offerings and further strengthen its appeal in the market.
South Africa aims to return to pre-COVID levels of Indian tourist arrivals by 2026 and is committed to building lasting partnerships with Indian business partners, offering experiences tailored to diverse traveller profiles and positioning South Africa as a must-visit destination. This roadshow, in addition to reinforcing the country’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Indian market, will inspire more and more travellers to explore the Rainbow Land in the coming years.
The country is also set to host the 2027 ODI World Cup, providing an exciting opportunity to showcase the country’s diverse tourism attractions and attract visitors from around the globe. Through ongoing trade engagement, targeted consumer outreach, and innovative marketing initiatives, the tourism board remains dedicated to expanding its presence in India.
About South African Tourism: South African Tourism is the tourism marketing arm of the South African government. Simply put, their job is to promote the country domestically and internationally, whether for leisure, business or events tourism.
As a government body, they are committed to meaningfully contributing to the South African government’s objectives of inclusive economic growth, sustainable job creation, and redistribution and transformation of the industry.
Website www.southafrica.net
