South African Airways Extreme Fares campaign has seen record 2013 figures for the airline in the UK, with revenue up 70 per cent year-on-year across some channels.

The unprecedented growth in January bookings follows the recent launch of South African Airways’ targeted winter adventure travel marketing campaign.

This saw the airline partner with adventurer Charley Boorman for his recent four-part TV series Charley Boorman’s South African Adventure, which aired on Channel 5 and showcased South Africa’s ultimate experiences throughout January.

The country was also in the spotlight last month on the BBC thanks to David Attenborough’s ‘Africa’ show. 

Both shows generated interest which SAA capitalised on.

Jon Danks head of UK&I marketing & communications, SAA said: “The integrated campaign ran across key digital, print, and social media channels, anchored to the range of adventures showcased in both shows. 

“Our tie up with Charley and Channel 5 presented a cost effective broadcast solution alongside great support from partners such as Lonely Planet and tourist boards from across Southern Africa.”

UK January growth is even more impressive given that in January last year it flew direct to both Johannesburg and Cape Town, since when it has dropped the direct service to Cape Town to focus on its network.

The new campaign focused on the wide range of destinations across Southern Africa accessible via SAA’s Johannesburg hub. 

The TV show has been hailed a success by broadcaster Channel 5 with nearly 4 million people in the UK watching, in turn engaging with SAA’s brand.