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case studies
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South African Tourism Board
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"In the absence of any advertising budget, DCI was able to achieve great visibility for South Africa in major print and television outlets through targeted media relations, reaching our key media and travelers with the message that apartheid was long over, and a new South Africa was beginning: come be part of the miracle!"
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Michael Jackson
Former Director/North America
South African Tourism Board | | |
The Challenge
After apartheid, the South African Tourism Board needed to rebuild the country through substantial growth of the nation's tourism industry. Development Counsellors International (DCI) was charged with increasing travel from North America by counteracting long-standing negative perceptions and helping both the media and consumers understand the dramatic changes the nation had undergone.
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The DCI Roadmap
• Survey the media for their present knowledge and opinions of South Africa.
• Introduce the new South Africa to the media through one-on-one interviews and media events to raise awareness of the changes that DCI research and analysis found were relatively unknown;
• Organize and execute numerous group and individual press trips to the country to let travel journalists, meeting planners and general media (both print and broadcast) experience South Africa's changes for themselves. |
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The Results
• DCI secured major cover stories in Conde Nast Traveler, The New York Times, USA Today, Travel Holiday, Departures (special South Africa issue) and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
• On behalf of the South African Tourism Board, DCI dramatically increased favorable broadcast coverage with results on CNN, PBS, ESPN and Good Morning America.
• During a four-year period, DCI helped increase North American arrivals by more than double, from 74,000 visitors per year to 168,000 visitors per year. This growth created thousands of new jobs in South Africa. | |
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