Hundreds of buyers and exhibitors have expressed firm interest in attending Africa’s Travel Indaba 2022, which takes place at the Durban International Convention Centre and Durban Exhibition next month.
South African Tourism Chief Convention Bureau Officer, Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, speaking at the official launch in Umhlanga on Wednesday, said more than 500 “hungry” buyers had already committed to attending the continent’s premier tourism and travel event. Africa’s Travel Indaba runs from May 3 to 5 after a two-year absence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have more than 500 buyers already and the same number of exhibitors representing 47 countries around the globe. In 2019 we had 1 500 buyers that came to our shores,” said Kotze-Nhlapo.
She said KwaZulu Natal, which has hosted the event for three decades, was was on its way to economic recovery and the event would further boost economies of the province and the continent as it provided a stepping-stone for buyers to find the best of African tourism under one roof.
“Africa’s Travel Indaba is all about businesses coming together and building confidence with international delegates from various parts of the world to reconnect and share real success stories of resilience, while demonstrating Africa’s world-class tourism products that will continue to give travellers an unforgettable experience.”
Kotze-Nhlapo said Indaba had attracted around 6 500 delegates in 2019.
“I don’t think we need to be disheartened if for this year we don’t get that number, because it is a stepping stone. We will be back with a bang but maybe not to those numbers for a number of reasons, as people are in economic distress.”
‘Use Indaba to reposition KZN’
KwaZulu-Natal Tourism spokesperson, Pinky Radebe, said the organisation would use the event to reposition the province to its global markets and fresh new tourism developments that had emerged in the past two years.
“Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) is a great opportunity for our tourism trade partners to showcase what the province has on offer to South Africa, the continent, and the world,” said Radebe.
South African Tourism Acting CEO, Themba Khumalo, said Africa offered the world a tourism destination like no other, as it provided guests with a feeling of sheer joy and a sense of inner rejuvenation like no other place across the world.
“ATI gives SA Tourism the opportunity to reintroduce the importance of the African continent and new entrepreneurs and fresh products in Africa for tourists to tap into.
“This is an open invitation to all international buyers to come to KZN to explore the vast opportunities and experiences that the beautiful province has to offer.”
Khumalo added that the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday that the State of Disaster would be lifted from April 5 removed any excuse for not attending the event.
Open invitation
“If you were hesitating, if you had doubts about whether we are ready to receive you, whether we are ready to host you, now all the restrictions are removed and you don’t have your most valid reason for not travelling to SA.
“It is now an open invitation that those who need to be here and want to be here can come. We have done the work that needs to be done in SA across the tourism value chain to ensure we will be able to secure every single traveller that comes into SA,” said Khumalo.
Africa’s Travel Indaba will be hosted as a physical event as well as a hybrid online event for guests who cannot travel to the city to attend in person.
Kotze-Nhlapo said a vaccination certificate or a COVID-19 PCR test not older than 72 hours would be required to attend the event.
However, it will also be possible for delegates to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination or a PCR test at a rapid testing booth on site at the event.
