The message is: We’re back and we’re open for business. And nobody, but we mean nobody, offers you the breadth of experiences we can.
Perhaps because I have been living vicariously through my kids – one of whom has been out from Amsterdam and using his euros to good effect doing the safari thing – that the new SA Tourism ad resonated with me. It was a reminder that, to paraphrase Desiderata, with all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, South Africa is still a beautiful country. It’s a beauty we who live here don’t often appreciate, at each other’s throats most of the time as we are.
Occasionally, we’ll be reminded of it – as I was some years ago when I met Kenya tourism marketers who were gushing about how their country offered mountains, bush and beaches. She hits the bush, marvelling at elephants playing, then grabs a luxurious massage and a bush boma dinner and performance of throbbing drums.
But once you have been here, you’ll never be the same again. It’s a piece of communication which, although it is seemingly aimed at the overseas market, still works for local people.