After a seven year hiatus, the Free State Tourism Authority (FSTA) is back in business with a detailed strategy to put the Free State on the map as one of the most sought after leisure and business destinations in South Africa.
The province is out to show that it has a multitude of attractions to rival the best South Africa and the world has to offer.
The area boasts the oldest and largest meteorite impact site in the world, some of the country’s most valuable San (Bushman) art and gorgeous vistas as far as the eye can see.
The FSTA launched its campaign, including a striking new logo, at this year’s Tourism Indaba in Durban.
Khotso Thole, general manager of marketing for FSTA, explains: “The FTSA was re-launched two years ago and we have been building our tourism products step-by-step. Now we are ready to unveil our beautiful province to the world and put it on the international map.”
The Free State, which claimed eight percent of the South African tourism market during 2007, is currently the sixth-most visited province in the country. The FSTA is determined to improve these figures and are confident that they will be able to do so.
According to Thole, the aim is to move up two places to the number four spot and claim a bigger slice of the tourism pie: “We are concentrating our efforts in both the local and international market. We hope that 70 percent of visitors will come from within South Africa and the remaining 30 percent from Africa and international markets,” he said.
