South Africa Tourism to ride the Cocktail surf on TV

South African Tourism and Illuminati Films have launched a 30-second co-branded TVC (television commercial) campaign for tourism promotion of South Africa. Illuminati Films produced the Bollywood film Cocktail which hit theatres on Friday and has been shot extensively in Cape Town, South Africa.

Tapping into South Africa’s varied experiences, Cocktail features three friends in the movie – Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty, visiting Cape Town for a holiday together, which also marks a turning point in the movie’s plot. The TVC campaign is aimed at young adults and couples, and packages Cape Town in South Africa as a fusion of fun and adventure.

Commenting on the new initiative, Ms Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism, said, “Through the association with the film

Cocktail on this TVC campaign, we want to showcase the best that Cape Town has to offer to Indian travellers. The movie showcases the star cast having a fun-filled holiday in South Africa and it blends perfectly with our positioning as being an exhilarating, fun and memorable holiday destination. This association gives us an unprecedented opportunity to showcase South Africa on the Bollywood stage and reach out to the vast section of movie-going audiences.”

Indian tourist arrivals to South Africa in March 2012 rose to 34.5 per cent. The number of travellers increased from 5,308 in March 2011 to 7,138 in March 2012. According to the latest figures, South Africa has received 21,139 Indians between January 2012 and March 2012, which is a jump of 23.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The 10-day TVC campaign is on air from July 6 across channels such as MTV, Channel V, ETC, Zing, Star Movies, HBO and NDTV Good Times.

nivedita.ganguly@thehindu.co.in