As more and more tourists flock to South Africa from markets such as India, China and Brazil, gearing up to cater for their palates and their dietary requirements is becoming increasingly important.

With this in mind, SA Tourism has partnered with the South African Chefs Association (SACA) to produce a cookbook called Guide to Vegetarian, Vegan and Jain Dining in South Africa.

The Guide to Vegetarian, Vegan and Jain Dining in South Africa sets out the specific dietary requirements of vegetarians, vegans and Jains; gives lists of food items that each group may (and may not) eat; gives a brief explanation of the culture that informs the dietary needs of these tourists; and gives a broad selection of mouth-watering recipes that will keep vegetarian, vegan and Jain visitors happy and well-fed as they explore and fall in love with South Africa.

The book also includes 50 appetising and nourishing easy to prepare meals using fresh ingredients that are readily available locally. Moreover, it is a collection of recipes by some of South Africa’s finest chefs and each recipe offers a mouth-watering way to keep non-meat eaters delighted with the flavours, textures and variety that South Africa offers.

“South Africa’s tourism industry reached record heights in 2011, as we reached our highest-ever figure of 8.3 million international tourist arrivals. Our core markets in Europe and North America remain our major tourist markets. But what we saw in 2011 was the importance of emerging markets and the increasing numbers of tourists visiting us from countries such as India, China and Brazil. From India alone, we welcomed 90 367 tourists in 2011 - 26.2% more than in 2010,” said South African Tourism CEO, Thulani Nzima.

“The increase in visitors from emerging markets has given us a good dilemma – how can we better cater for the travel needs of our visitors from these new markets? How can we literally make them feel ‘at home’ in our country, ensure they are welcomed as family and ensure that their every need – including their specific dietary requirements - is catered for while they are here,” Nzima added.

It was critical, Nzima continued, for South African Tourism to understand the needs of these tourists, so that the organisation could better work with the tourism industry to ensure they were catered for.

Guide to Vegetarian, Vegan and Jain Dining in South Africa will be made available extensively to South Africa’s hospitality industry and will also be distributed to 6000 chefs through the South African Chefs Association.