South African Tourism officially kicked off Sho’t Left Travel Week today (Monday, September 4), with an activation at the Mall of Africa in Midrand, Johannesburg.

The campaign was launched to increase the country’s domestic tourism numbers, and has been described by Acting CEO of South African Tourism, Nomasonto Ndlovu, as the “Black Friday of Tourism”.

The annual travel week sees a host of trade partners, airlines, hotel groups, and tour operators offering discounts of up to 50%.

The activation in the mall offers a stand where visitors can book travel deals on an ‘interactive digital suitcase’. 

The Sho’t Left Travel Week campaign will continue at Boardwalk Casino in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape and Mega City in Mahikeng (North West) between September 6-10.

“We’re very excited about today. It is the day we’ve all been waiting for – South Africa’s greatest sale. What excites us the most is that we, as  South Africans, finally have the opportunity to travel in a much more affordable way, by taking advantage of the deals loaded on the Sho’t Left Travel platform,” Ndlovu told Tourism Update.

She added that the benefit of the deals is that travellers can book now and travel later.

Learn what SA has to offer

Ndlovu pointed out that, through this campaign, SA Tourism wants to encourage locals to travel to all nine provinces and learn what South Africa offers.

She added that, if the industry is educated about what the country has to offer, it will be more equipped to make valuable recommendations to international tourists when they visit the country.

“We also know that many more locals travelled in South Africa during COVID and they can recommend more places they didn’t know existed before,” she said, noting that the Sho’t Left campaign aims to build on that.

The Sho’t Left Travel Week is a key part of Tourism Month and Ndlovu noted that all the activities during September are geared towards highlighting the vital role the tourism sector plays in growing the economy – and in driving job creation.