BIT 2009, Italy’s biggest travel trade show, witnessed the launch of South African Tourism’s new advertising campaign in Italy.
The „Hai sentito che?“ [Did you hear that…?] campaign with accompanying website haisentitoche.com uses the experiences and memories of Italians who have travelled to South Africa to communicate powerful first hand stories about the destination.
Furthermore, for two weeks from February 12 a series of maxi-pictures were posted in Milan tube stations featuring South African landscapes selected by Italian visitors who experienced three different South Africa itineraries in 2008. The itineraries covered Adventure, Romance and Honey Moons, Lifestyle and Luxury themes.
When the campaign went online on February 16 banners were posted on 15 Italian portals – covering news, travel & tourism, wellness & beauty, health, food and latest trends.
With their high emotional and visual impact, the banners provided a direct link to the „Did you hear that …?“ website which collects and presents the travel experiences of both the official storytellers as well as other Italians who have travelled to South Africa.
The Storytellers’ profiles on the www.haisentitoche.com website are linked to Facebook where the new „Sudafrica fai da te“ [South Africa – Do it yourself!] group allows registered users to plan their own travel to South Africa by interacting with those who have already visited the country.
Furthermore, southafrica.net, the official network of South African Tourism, with a completely re-designed Italian section, is also linked to the „Did you hear that …?“ site providing users a 360° view on South Africa.