South Africans appear to have lapped up the new advert fronted by comedian Trevor Noah promoting tourism in the country despite the fact that the idea was criticised when it was first reported.
In September, there was a storm of comments when it was understood that the South African performer and TV presenter was going to receive 33m rand ($1.7m; £1.3m) to front the campaign.
People complained that it was a huge expense at a hard time financially for the country – though a minister did say that the funds were not coming out of the public purse.
But now the one-minute-45-second film is out, there seems to have been a change in tune.
Noah – who came to prominence in the US hosting nightly satirical programme the Daily Show – is seen answering questions from potential visitors like “is there snow at Christmas time?”.
“When it’s freezing in Connecticut it’s fantastic in Cape Town,” Noah says.
He also talks about playing golf in South Africa as well as the wildlife that can be seen.
Commenting on social media, many have welcomed his light touch and humour.
“And just like that Trevor Noah replaces Nelson Mandela as the global face of South Africa,” a commenter said on X, reflecting Noah’s global presence.
Another said that it was “sharp, witty and clean. Gets the point across unequivocally, really good stuff”.
There were some naysayers, including this:
“I just can’t get my head around it being worth all that money. I don’t think people watch one ad and then book to visit a country.” (BBC)
