"Collaboration with the private sector is essential to growing tourism to South Africa and creating market access for our tourism businesses," said Ismail Dockrat, SA Tourism's Chief Operations Officer. The platforms connect South African businesses with the tour operators and travel agents who package and sell the destination.

Germany and the Netherlands were South Africa's second and third-largest European source markets in 2025. With Belgium, they delivered 481,267 tourist arrivals, 34.0% of all arrivals from Europe.

Together, the three markets generated 279,537 arrivals in the first seven months of 2026.

The show, formerly known as the Vakantiebeurs, runs at Jaarbeurs in Utrecht from 7 to 10 January 2027. SA Tourism's North Europe Hub will host the South African Pavilion. Professional Day, for the distribution channel, is on 7 January, followed by consumer days from 8 to 10 January. The revamped event stresses bringing destinations to life through experiences, with food and wine activations on the pavilion. Suppliers may propose further activations at their own cost.

From 12 to 22 January 2027, the North and Central Europe Hubs will take participating businesses to eight cities to meet tour operators and travel agents: Utrecht, Haarlem, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Brussels and Antwerp in Belgium; and Düsseldorf and Frankfurt in Germany.

Applicants should show how their products meet demand for distinctive experiences, responsible tourism and value for money, and should appeal to first-time and repeat visitors, including through experiences beyond established routes.

Selected businesses will build digital itineraries with the hub teams, which travel professionals in the region will vet for market readiness across the mid-market and traditional high-end segments. Each product's elevator pitch will also be sent to buyers before the engagements, with optional AI-enabled translations into Dutch, Flemish, German and French alongside the video pitches.

Businesses applying for both must meet each initiative's requirements. Request the application documents and full participation details from netrade@southafrica.net; questions on the B2B criteria can go to Abby Jacobs at the same address.