With the majority of attractions (66%) closed for the equivalent of half a year or more in 2020, a total of 20% of full-time jobs were lost and many in the industry believe South Africa’s attractions industry has fundamentally changed and that pre-COVID visitor numbers will never be seen again.

This was highlighted in the inaugural African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AAVEA) attractions benchmark survey, which was released at the AAVEA 2021 Virtual Conference earlier this month.

The survey results, researched and analysed in the second quarter of 2021 by Sabine Lehmann, CEO of consulting company, Curiositas and Executive Director of AAVEA, were compiled using data collected for 2019 and 2020.

The survey follows AAVEA’s partnership with South African Tourism in 2020. The survey results report is one of the key deliverables of this partnership.

In her foreword to the 16-page report, Lehmann says: “Visitor attractions form a significant component of the domestic and international tourism system – one that has oft been overlooked, partly due to lack of information and due to the fact that, in the past, the attractions and the experience industry have not been advocating for the role they play in the industry.”

She added that AAVEA sought to change this, quoting international tourism expert John Swarbrooke (The Development and Management of Visitor Attractions, 2002) as saying: “Without attractions, there would be no need for other tourism services. Indeed, tourism as such would not exist if it were not for attractions.”

Lehmann said, in many cases when people thought of a destination, they thought of an attraction. This usually formed the foundation of a destination marketing organisation’s marketing role.

She said AAVEA was looking forward to extending the reach of the report in the future. “If we wish to advocate for our sector within the tourism economy, then having data available to prove our importance in the industry is vital. Never has the role of the attractions and experience industry been more important than in the year when we lost international tourist arrivals.”

Lehmann added that, for the domestic tourism economy, visitor attractions and experiences were an instrumental driver of leaving home for a fun day out.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the survey:

• 52 attractions surveyed had 11,7 million visitors in 2019
• In 2019, the domestic market was the largest single source of visitors for attractions and experiences with 61% of those being domestic visitors.
• 20% of full-time jobs were lost at attractions between 2019 and 2020.
• The majority of attractions (66%) were closed for the equivalent of half a year or more in 2020.
• 27% say the attractions industry has changed fundamentally and those numbers won’t be seen again.

As the first membership-based organisation of its kind on the continent, AAVEA represents the interests of visitor experiences and attractions, raises awareness of the contribution they make to the broader tourism industry, and hosts events and online sessions that provide education, valuable engagement with industry peers, and collaboration opportunities.

The full survey can be downloaded HERE.