South Africa's largely untapped opportunity

It's not news that South Africa is one of the world's best tourist destinations - pictures of Table Mountain and penguins are pretty much par for the course when it comes to 'what' gets marketed though.

But once you've walked Lion's Head and visited the Waterfront many tourists would be hard pressed to find plausible reasons to come back to the country.

What's not being showcased is that South Africa is probably the world's best road trip destination.

There simply isn't another place that has the great road infrastructure, small towns of agreeable distance apart from each other, restaurants and bars, accommodation, the perfect mix of urban and wild and a choice of so many routes to drive.

Whether it's the N2 from Cape Town to Durban, the n7 from Cape Town to Namibia, routes through the Eastern Free State, Mpumalanga, the Klein Karoo, Route 62 - if you can dream it, you can drive it.

For adventure seekers this is obviously paradise. But even for those just looking for a bit of solace away from the shit show that is the world right now...you're welcome.

The key here is that South African Tourism is very much focused on marketing one-point destinations like Cape Town, when what they should actually be showcasing is that South Africa is 'a driving holiday'.

What car you decide to rent is important.

Which roads you choose to take is key to the overall experience.

It's more about the countless pen marks on a map, than a single booking at just one place.

South Africa's tourism marketing strategy is a copy-and-paste of the approach every other bureau follows. It's surely time to be unique and offer our strengths in a better way.