Small tourism businesses are set to get a bigger platform to reach customers as FlySafair shifts its SME support towards tourism, hospitality and experience-led businesses.
The airline has replaced its Business Booster competition with Travel Booster, which will select four tourism businesses to receive support valued at more than R350,000 each.
FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon said the change builds on what the airline learnt through Business Booster, which has supported South African SMEs with access to air travel since 2022.
“With Travel Booster, we’re applying that same thinking to a sector that is directly linked to what we do. South Africa has extraordinary tourism offerings, from hidden gem accommodation to incredible guided experiences,” Gordon said.
He said many of the businesses behind these offerings are small operators that need greater exposure to grow.
“Many of the businesses behind those offerings are small, passionate operators who simply need exposure to grow. We want to be the platform that helps people discover them.”
The four selected businesses will receive 10 return domestic Business Class flights, a full-page feature in FlySafair’s digital InFlight magazine, exposure on the airline’s website and social media visibility across its platforms, which reach more than 1.5 million followers.
The package also includes car-hire coupons from First Car Rental and tailored business solutions from Vodacom South Africa.
The visibility gap facing tourism SMEs
The shift comes as smaller tourism operators compete for attention in a market where larger companies can spend more on marketing.
A business can offer accommodation, an attraction or a guided experience that brings visitors to a destination, but reaching customers outside its usual market can remain difficult.
Gordon said this lack of visibility is one of the barriers facing smaller operators.
“South Africa’s tourism sector is an engine for economic growth, employment and community development. But too many excellent tourism businesses are invisible to national audiences simply because they don’t have the marketing budget to compete,” he said.
That is where the business value of the programme comes in.
The support is not limited to flights. The selected businesses will receive access to FlySafair’s audience, editorial exposure and digital platforms, alongside services aimed at helping them run and grow their businesses.
The competition asked entrants to explain who they are, what makes their offering worth travelling to, the impact they have on their destination and community, their growth ambitions and how national exposure could help them achieve their vision.
The judging process will consider tourism appeal and uniqueness, storytelling potential, growth potential, local and community impact, contribution to domestic tourism and campaign fit.
Businesses also have to be registered South African tourism businesses that are operational, genuinely visitable or bookable and able to respond to increased consumer interest.
The initiative also connects directly with FlySafair’s own business. The airline transports people to destinations, while the accommodation providers, attractions and experience operators give travellers a reason to make those trips.
Gordon said the aim is to help more people discover experiences across the country.
“If we can help more South Africans discover these experiences, we create a reason to travel, and that is good for everyone,” he said.
