South African Tourism Opens European Market Access for Local Businesses
South African Tourism Opens European Market Access for Local Businesses. South African Tourism (SAT) has opened applications for South African tourism businesses seeking to engage travellers and tourism trade in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in January 2027.
The programmes will connect local tourism products with European consumers, tour operators and travel agents, while providing participating businesses with digital tools to prepare for the markets.
Two SAT-led platforms will form part of the initiative. The Getaway by Vakantiebeurs 2027 will take place at Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands, from 7 to 10 January. A professional day focused on the distribution channel will be held on 7 January, followed by consumer days from 8 to 10 January.
The South African Pavilion will include food and wine activations, while participating suppliers can propose additional activations at their own cost.
The Market Access Trade Engagements will run from 12 to 22 January across eight cities. These include Utrecht, Haarlem, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium, and Düsseldorf and Frankfurt in Germany.
SAT is seeking tourism products offering distinctive experiences, responsible tourism and value for money, including experiences beyond established tourism routes.
Selected businesses will work with SAT’s hub teams to develop digital itineraries for review by travel professionals in the region. Businesses will also prepare short elevator pitches for prospective buyers, with videos able to include AI-enabled translations in Dutch, Flemish, German and French.
Germany and the Netherlands were South Africa’s second and third-largest European source markets respectively in 2025. Together with Belgium, the three markets generated 481,267 tourist arrivals during the year, accounting for 34% of arrivals from Europe.
Between January and July 2026, South Africa recorded 84,002 arrivals from the Netherlands, 166,429 from Germany and 29,106 from Belgium. Combined, the three markets generated 279,537 arrivals during the period.
