September 29, 11:30IOL

How BookTok can contribute to the development of literary tourism in South Africa

A recent example demonstrated the power of BookTok: a German friend sent a photo of Deon Meyer's book 'The Dark Flood' to his niece with the caption, 'Getting my niece into Cape Town crime.' This book allowed her to visualize the cafes on Church Street, the vineyards of the Jonkershoek Valley, and the police station where the detached Benny Grissel is located, even before she visited South Africa. It is this ability of the hashtag to transform a small university town into a teenager's object of imagination.

Every month, millions of young travelers pack their bags thanks to paperbacks. The #BookTok hashtag on TikTok has garnered over 370 billion views, and Nielsen BookData found that in 2022, a quarter of book buyers used TikTok, leading to the sale of nearly 90 million books that year.

This demand is already transforming the travel sector. According to Skyscanner, more than half of travelers have booked or considered booking a trip inspired by a read book. Tour operators across Europe are responding to this trend: the 'Storyteller Series' from Avalon Waterways offers river cruises featuring novelists such as Diana Gabaldon and Gillian Flynn, as well as atmospheric walking tours through historic academic cities in the 'Dark Academia' aesthetic.

In connection with South African Tourism Month, this global trend opens up a fresh and very profitable path for sustainable growth. While traditional marketing campaigns successfully showcase world-class safaris, award-winning vineyards, and breathtaking coastal beauty, there is a significant and largely untapped opportunity among the new generation of digital consumers.

Historically, literary tourism has focused predominantly on heritage preservation, attracting mainly a narrow academic audience. Today, Millennials and Generation Z, the fastest-growing and most digitally influenced group of new travelers, seek fully immersive, narrative-based experiences—whether it's the mysterious atmosphere of a crime thriller, a tranquil romantic retreat in the forest, or the intellectual, historical aesthetic of 'Dark Academia.'

Fortunately, attracting this interested market does not require building entirely new infrastructure. South Africa's dramatic and diverse geography inherently evokes strong imagery and is closely linked to world literature. By applying a deliberate literary lens to existing destinations, international visitors can be invited to directly immerse themselves in the pages of beloved stories.

There are several areas that could form the basis for such tourism:

African Mythcore Fantasy Trail: Young fantasy inspired by local myths is one of the main drivers of modern global book sales. Decades before the rise of social media fantasy trends, the legendary Zulu author, shaman, and visionary Credo Mutwa wrote 'Indaba, My Children'—a masterpiece of epic folklore, tribal history, and deep mythology of immense cultural significance.
Dark Academia Campus Experience: The 'Dark Academia' aesthetic, which celebrates historic universities, architectural heritage, hidden archives, and the romantic pursuit of knowledge, is hugely popular online. In Makhanya, Rhodes University, there is a main street that runs in one continuous line from the church doors through its own Arch Dostdie to the steps of the administrative building, presenting a unified processional view from neo-Gothic spire to Victorian campus.
Cape Town Crime Thriller Market: Deon Meyer's gripping crime thrillers, translated into dozens of languages, are part of a broader tradition of Cape Town Noir, which also includes the Claire Hart Margie Orford series. Cape Town could create a specialized, highly structured walking tour of the docks, city centre alleys, and Bo-Kaap streets, covering the settings in the novels of both authors, similar to the long-running Rebus tour in Edinburgh built around Ian Rankin's detective novels, or the official Millennium tours in Stockholm run by the city museum, which still show fans the novel settings most weekends year-round, twice a week in summer, almost two decades after the books were published.
Luxury Forest Retreat: Dalene Matty's iconic novel 'Circles in a Forest' provides a ready-made foundation for high-end ecotourism. Knysna Forest could be deliberately presented as a charming natural sanctuary for readers: organized forest hikes following the elusive Knysna elephants, eco-cottages hidden in the foliage, and outdoor reading spots, all perfectly aligning with the sustainable, slow tourism sought by modern travelers.
Global Pop Culture Journey: Trevor Noah's memoirs 'Born a Crime' remain an international bestseller and are part of curricula worldwide. Developing structured, community-led walking tours in Soweto and Johannesburg would allow international fans to directly experience the real environment, vibrant neighbourhoods, and historic streets that shaped his stories, with benefits going directly to local guides and community enterprises.

To fully realize this potential and convert digital views into a real flow of visitors, provincial tourism bodies can collaborate with academic institutions, independent bookstores, and digital creators, including rights holders, right from the start of the conversation. Richmond, officially recognized by the International City of Books as a South African book town in the Great Karoo, could be elevated to a premier national destination for slow tourism, creative retreats, and digital nomads wishing to escape urban hustle.

Tourism Month celebrates the resilience, diversity, and brilliance of the local hospitality sector. By expanding its presence in BookTok tourism, we can make the travel economy future-ready and share our unique, diverse heritage with a wider global audience. We already have world-class landscapes and wonderful stories; by developing these bespoke literary routes, we can ensure that South Africa remains at the forefront of global tourism innovation.

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iol.co.zaSeptember 15, 13:00

The 'Mini-tourism' Concept: How to Notice Hidden Attractions Instead of Popular Spots

In South Africa, the problem is not overtourism, but the concentration of too many visitors around a small number of the most famous tourist attractions. The solution, according to an expert, is not to deter guests from iconic places, but to encourage them to look at the places they are already visiting in a new way. This mindset is the basis of the concept called 'Mini-tourism' (Tiny Tourist mindset).

The idea of 'Mini-tourism' arose as a response to the pressure of overtourism in Europe. Its main premise is simple: to go beyond the traditional bucket list and start showing curiosity towards smaller and less obvious experiences that give a place its authentic local flavor.

The author considers this idea particularly relevant for South Africa because, despite having outstanding attractions, the most popular routes are overcrowded. For example, on Table Mountain, 98% of tourists walk around the cable car station. This raises the question: what else can they see if they look further?

Essentially, 'Mini-tourism' represents a compact approach to travel. It includes visiting a local supermarket for unusual chip flavors, walking through a neighborhood dog park, or searching for a pool, cafe, bookstore, or sports club used by locals. As the report states, 'Mini-tourism' is a slower, scattered curiosity that celebrates micro-attractions and allows one to get to know a place through its details.

This does not mean completely abandoning iconic places. Kruger Park, Cape Point, and Union Buildings play an important role in an economy of attention where an iconic image can serve as a quick way to attract attention. One striking photograph can motivate someone to buy a plane ticket. However, once the postcard has served its function, one can move into the hyper-niche segment, where personal interests transform the experience of being in a place, allowing one to find their company on the other side of the world, rather than just taking a picture.

Recently, one of the author's colleagues visited Cape Town. Although the author suggested riding the cable car up Table Mountain, the colleague declined, deciding to watch an Aston Villa match—a kind of ritual during trips. As a result, he took an Uber to Bellville, watched the match during a power outage, and spent the evening with locals. He noted that it was thanks to this approach during business trips that he received some of the best local experiences.

The author has his own approach: he always looks for opportunities for open-water swimming. This led him to the urban lakes of Berlin and, closer to home, to the Konvile municipal pool near George, known for its beautiful late 1970s architecture. Neither of these places would likely make it onto a standard bucket list, but both were memorable for offering a different way to get to know a place.

Recently, the author took a train trip to Kalk Bay. A round-trip ticket costing 24 rand provided a safe, clean, and slow journey, the opportunity to observe people, and enjoy unparalleled views, offering a completely different perspective on a well-trodden route. The author hopes this will become an independent attraction. And speaking of the same coast, the question arises: why does Miller's Point, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful semi-urban campsites in the world, remain empty most of the year?

The need is not to build new attractions, but to become better at discovering, curating, and promoting those that already exist. This also changes the role of people providing tourism services. Guides must truly know their clients and understand their hyper-niche interests, rather than just following a standard bucket list. A friend of the author, a guide, once discovered that her client was passionate about sustainable development. Instead of taking him on a typical tour, she organized an excursion to the Cape Town municipal recycling plant. It was unforgettable and very specific.

The author recalls the phrase about diving safety: 'look up, look down, and look out for yourself.' Underwater, this is a practical safety check. As a traveler, he considers it excellent advice: look up and notice the ordinary shop windows that no one photographs. Look down and choose the R24 train instead of Uber. Look out for yourself and ask someone sitting on the steps of the Union Buildings where the best place to eat is.

None of this requires building anything new. The Kalk Bay train runs several times a day. Miller's Point is empty most of the year. Around our most famous attractions live locals who lead lives that tourists rarely see. The question is not whether South Africa has enough tiny, ordinary, yet remarkable things—it is obvious that it does. The task of those working in tourism strategy is to turn these 'Mini-tourism' micro-attractions into new main attractions, treating the ordinary with the same seriousness as the iconic.

The author wishes Miller's Point would receive the same attention.