SA Tourism Opens Applications for North and Central Europe Market Access Platforms
South African Tourism (SA Tourism) has opened applications for two key market access platforms in North and Central Europe, inviting South African travel trade partners, tourism product owners, and businesses to participate in "The Getaway: An Experience by Vakantiebeurs 2027" and a series of Market Access Trade Engagements across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in January 2027. The Vakantiebeurs event will be held at Jaarbeurs in Utrecht from 7 to 10 January 2027, while the trade engagements will run from 12 to 22 January across eight cities, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Düsseldorf, and Frankfurt. Applications close on 1 October 2026 at 17:00 SAST.
The initiative comes as all three markets record strong and continued growth in arrivals to South Africa. Germany and the Netherlands ranked as the country's second and third-largest European source markets in 2025, with Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands together contributing 481 267 tourist arrivals - accounting for 34% of all European arrivals. Growth has continued into 2026, with the three markets generating 279 537 arrivals between January and July, up significantly year-on-year. Participating businesses selected for the platforms will develop digital itineraries vetted by regional travel professionals, and will submit elevator pitch videos - with AI-enabled translations in Dutch, Flemish, German, and French - distributed to buyers ahead of the trade engagements.
Source: South African Tourism