Nigeria has emerged the biggest market for South Africa Tourism in Africa, contributing over 43,000 arrivals to the touristic growth rate recorded last year, South Africa Tourism's Regional Director for Africa and Domestic, Phumelela Dhlomo disclosed. Dhlomo said the arrival figures from Nigeria which peaked to an-all-time high of 11.3 per cent has further encouraged SA Tourism to make the country, a key market in its relentless drive to position South Africa as the preferred destination for global tourists. Speaking at the monthly breakfast business meeting of the Nigerian-South African Chambers of Commerce, sponsored by South African Tourism, held in Lagos, Dhlomo disclosed that tourists from Nigeria form a significant portion of the 11 per cent global and 7 per cent inbound tourists from Africa; thus making it the biggest tourism market outside Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). While presenting the global and continental scorecard of South Africa Tourism’s drive for increased flow of arrivals into the country, Dhlomo stated that arrivals indicator from Nigeria between 2003 and 2007, confirmed that there has been significant improvements of about 74 per cent of arrivals from Nigeria most of whom were either general holiday tourists or business travelers. Encouraged by the development, Dhlomo said South African Tourism has put in place a number of incentives to further attract Nigerian visitors to South Africa, listing initiatives such as ‘the story teller’ campaign which was aimed at encouraging business tourists to extend their stay to savour the rich leisure attractions in the country. 2010 World Cup As a follow-up, he said South African Tourism was embarking on a word of mouth advocacy that would afford Nigerian visitors to South Africa the opportunities to win an all-expense-trip to South Africa by simply utilizing multi-media platform in the dedicated website www.southafrica.net/nigeria to tell their experiences while in the country. Speaking on the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, he said the focus of South African Tourism is to use the global football fiesta as a tourist draw card to get visitors to extend their stay, exposed them to other leisure activities and spend more and to extend invitation to visitors to come to South Africa after the event. South Africa’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Kingsley Mamabolo expressed optimism that both Nigeria and South Africa are well placed to withstand the onslaught of the current global economic downturn in view of their strategic position in the African continent. Mamabolo who described Nigerians as hospitable people, further called for greater bilateral collaboration between the governments of the two countries for sustained economic growth adding that, “we need to work towards improving relations to see how we can salvage ourselves from the present economic crisis even though it has not affected us yet.” To demonstrate his resolve to forge partnership between the two countries, the envoy urged Nigerian business entrepreneurs to utilize the window of opportunities provided by his office to further improve the existing economic ties between the two countries. The High Commissioner also used the occasion to praise Nigeria’s efforts during the apartheid era saying, “We in South Africa remember how Nigeria helped us in our trying days. I can assure you I will do whatever I can to facilitate improved trade relations between South Africa and Nigeria.” Africa News