South African tourism businesses have been encouraged to strengthen their focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market, with industry leaders highlighting the growing demand from some of the world's highest-spending travellers.
The opportunity was discovered during a Setsa webinar focused on unlocking the Middle East market opportunities for Southern Africa. The session included insights from David Frost, CEO of Setsa, Rob Heath, former Deputy Chairperson of Setsa, Afzal Parambil, Regional Manager for Southern Africa at Emirates Airline and Rakhi Purohit, Head of dData Representation Services.
Market diversification is gaining importance
Opening the webinar, Frost said the Middle East remains an important market for South African tourism and has historically received less attention than some of the country's traditional source markets.
He said tourism businesses are increasingly trying to diversify their source markets as global travel patterns are evolving.
Heath echoed this sentiment, highlighting the growing interest in the region and pointing to the expansion of South Africa's presence on trade platforms such as the Arab Travel Market in recent years.
Driving opportunities for high-value travelers
Purohit said the GCC market presents significant opportunities for destinations able to meet the needs of premium travelers.
According to data presented during the webinar, GCC travelers spend on average between $2,500 and $3,500 per trip, which is significantly higher than the global average.
He said GCC residents account for about 10% of global outbound travel spend, despite representing only a small percentage of the world's population.
Family travel, luxury experiences, shopping, nature-based tourism and longer stays are among the major factors influencing travel decisions across the region.
South Africa suits travelers' preferences
Speakers said South Africa is well-positioned to benefit from these trends due to its diverse tourism offering.
Wildlife experiences, outdoor attractions, luxury accommodation, family-friendly travel products and value for money experiences were identified as areas of strong appeal for GCC travellers.
Purohit said South Africa's favorable exchange rate further strengthens its competitiveness, allowing visitors to enjoy premium experiences at comparatively attractive prices.
The discussion also highlighted the growing demand for experiential travel, with travelers increasingly looking for authentic and personalized experiences.
Connectivity supports development
Aviation connectivity was identified as a key factor to support future tourism growth in the region.
Parambil said Emirates planned to expand its South African operations to 56 weekly flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban from July 2026.
He said South Africa remains one of the airline's most important African markets and is generating strong demand in both the leisure and business travel sectors.
Data presented during the webinar showed particularly strong growth from Saudi Arabia, where the number of visitors to South Africa increased by almost 18% year on year.
Cape Town remains the leading South African destination for GCC travellers, accounting for the majority of hotel bookings from the region.
Industry collaboration remains essential
Throughout the discussion, speakers stressed the importance of collaboration between tourism businesses, destination marketers, airlines and trade partners.
Areas identified for further development include destination training, familiarization trips, travel trade engagement and targeted marketing initiatives aimed at increasing awareness of South Africa within the GCC market.
The discussion highlighted the growing importance of the GCC market for South African tourism, with speakers pointing to growing traveler demand, strong spending power and improved connectivity between the two regions.
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