Culture as a marketing mechanism for international tourists to South Africa

Abstract

When international tourists visit a foreign country, they want to interact with that country's unique mix of culture as part of the tourism experience. Cultural tourism may provide the opportunity for such interaction. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the tourism marketer determine the cultural preferences of international tourists to South Africa in order to provide them with a satisfactory cultural tourism experience. The marketing of South Africa. as a cultural destination requires knowledge of the country's cultural attractions, accessibility, amenities and atmosphere. The study indicated amongst other things that international tourists are generally relatively satisfied with the cultural offerings that they experience during their visit to South Africa; that cultural heritage sites, living historic cities and cultural landscapes are the main cultural preferences which international tourists would like to visit in South Africa; and that tourism marketers should make effective use of electronic marketing methods when targeting international tourists as many of the tourists consult the Internet before and after arrival in the country.