SATSA Steps into the Film Tourism Spotlight at ITFFA 2025

SATSA proudly stepped into the film tourism arena at the 7th edition of the International Tourism Film Festival Africa - ITFFA, held at Hotel Sky, Sandton, from 3–6 June 2025. Day one of the conference proved to be an invaluable networking opportunity, marking the beginning of SATSA’s formal involvement in the newly established Film Tourism Think Tank — an exciting collaborative platform that bridges the tourism and film sectors.

The day opened with SATSA partner, Africa’s Eden, represented by CEO Jillian Blackbeard, who highlighted the wealth of destinations within their portfolio and unpacked their growing partnership with ITFFA. (Read more here).

SATSA’s COO, Hannelie du Toit, participated in the session “Film Tourism – Making Business Sense of It” alongside Caylynne Fourie (The Southern African Association for the Conference Industry - SAACI), Unathi Malunga (The South African Screen Federation - SASFED), and Keitumetse Lebaka (Gauteng Film Commission). Together, the panellists unpacked the tangible and growing economic value of film tourism, with insights at the intersection of destination marketing, content creation, and production logistics.

 Key issues discussed included:

• The state of tourism recovery, measured not only in percentages but in real economic terms — rands, jobs, and livelihoods.
• The new marketing normal, where digital storytelling and screen exposure drive destination appeal.
• The direct contribution of film to tourism, with estimates suggesting that tourism accounts for 12.5–15% of the GDP generated by international film productions in South Africa.

 The call to action from the session was clear: the time is now for unified leadership between the film and tourism sectors. The Think Tank — to reconvene post-conference — will also include FIVA (Film Industry Visa Assistance NPO) and CPASA (Commercial Producers Association of South Africa). Together, this collaboration will shape a practical strategy to connect local destinations with film production opportunities, strengthen economic value chains, and position South Africa as a world-class film and tourism destination.

SATSA is committed to supporting this journey. The synergy between tourism and film remains an under-leveraged asset — one that can unlock new markets, diversify narratives, and spotlight the best of Southern Africa.

We look forward to celebrating the winners of the 2025 ITFFA Awards tomorrow evening — and to continuing to build the business case for film tourism.