11th Edition of Learn SA successfully engaged 85+ travel trade partners in Pune
Pune, 15th December 2025: Marking another milestone in its journey to engage key travel trade partners across India, South African Tourism commenced its latest multi-city ‘Learn South Africa’ workshop series in Pune on 12th December 2025. Reflecting the steady rise in outbound interest from non-metro markets, the initiative will next resume in the new year with a session in Kolkata on 16 January 2026, and conclude with its final leg in Lucknow on 27 February 2026.
Strengthening its efforts to tap into the growing appetite for international travel across tier-2 cities, the workshop series is designed to offer travel trade partners deeper insights into South Africa’s diverse tourism experiences from cultural routes and adventure offerings to emerging regions beyond well-known favourites like Cape Town and Johannesburg. With rising demand from non-metro travellers seeking curated and immersive journeys, these workshops play a pivotal role in equipping partners with the knowledge and tools to craft personalised itineraries.
Through this multi-city initiative, South African Tourism seeks to deepen engagement with the travel trade community, address market-specific challenges, and strengthen partner readiness to capitalise on the growing demand for South Africa as a preferred leisure and MICE destination. India remains one of South Africa’s key source markets, with cities like Pune emerging as important contributors, driven by a strong presence of IT, manufacturing, and corporate travellers. Travellers from Pune are showing increased interest in experiential holidays that blend nature, adventure, wildlife, and culture, alongside premium leisure and incentive travel. The workshop empowers travel partners with insights and destination expertise to design customised itineraries that resonate with Pune’s evolving traveller profile, reinforcing South African Tourism’s vision of positioning the Rainbow Nation as a compelling choice for both leisure and MICE travel.
Commenting on the successful event in Surat, Gcobani Mancotywa, Regional General Manager for Asia, Australasia, and the Middle East, South African Tourism, stated: “Pune is emerging as a high-potential source market for South African Tourism, supported by a strong base of young professionals, well-travelled families, and a growing corporate and MICE segment driven by the city’s IT, manufacturing, and education hubs. Travellers from Pune are increasingly drawn to immersive experiences such as wildlife safaris, scenic road trips, adventure activities, wine routes, and culturally rich city stays all of which South Africa offers in abundance.
To capitalise on this evolving demand, we remain focused on strengthening partnerships with travel agents in key emerging markets like Pune, equipping them with deeper destination knowledge and planning capabilities. Our engagement with Pune’s travel trade community has been highly encouraging, and we are confident it will motivate more travellers from the city to explore South Africa’s diverse regions beyond the well-known gateways. These workshops continue to play a pivotal role in our strategy to highlight the depth, versatility, and appeal of South Africa as a world-class leisure and MICE destination.”
Pune has witnessed a notable rise in leisure travel, contributing meaningfully to the growing footfall to international destinations. Similar to travellers from other dynamic Indian cities, Pune travellers are becoming increasingly savvy in seeking value-driven, experience-rich holidays. South Africa continues to gain traction among these travellers, supported by a favourable exchange rate where 1 ZAR equals approximately 5.21 Indian Rupees making long-haul travel more accessible.
The 11th edition of ‘Learn South Africa’ in Pune marks a key milestone in South African Tourism’s continued endeavour to strengthen its partnerships with India’s travel trade professionals. In line with the board’s strategic vision to position South Africa as a versatile and high-value destination, the Rainbow Nation continues to deepen its engagement in tier-2 cities, recognising their increasing influence in India’s outbound travel landscape.
