Durban hosts Africa’s biggest trade travel show

DURBAN, South Africa – South Africa’s 35th annual tourism Indaba — Africa’s biggest trade travel show bringing buyers and sellers of tourism together under one roof — was officially opened in Durban last night by the country’s Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom.

“We have 20 African countries participating, more than 1,000 exhibitors and 750 media people,” Hanekom said at the official song-and-dance launch, sprinkled with speeches, where the capacity audience included tourism representatives of all 20 participating countries.

Tourism’s contribution to South Africa’s GDP was $8.5 billion in 2013, $84 million up on 2012. Tourism was responsible for 655,609 direct jobs, representing 4.4 percent of the total South African work force, in 2013.

Indaba 2015, Africa’s top trade travel show, is being held at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Center (ICC).

Organizers were planning for close on 9,000 visitors for the event, including travel media from across the globe. Hanekom stressed the value of tourism to the African continent, the essentially collaborative nature of tourism and the key ingredients of co-operation and partnerships.

He denounced recent xenophobic attacks on “certain foreigners living in South Africa,” calling them deplorable. He said the criminal actions of a few would not be tolerated.

SA Tourism, under new National Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom (it was his first Indaba), branded this year’s show as the Face of Africa with the theme: “No other show brings more African exhibitors together.”

Hotels, game lodges, luxury travel, golf tourism, marine tourism, cultural tourism, spa facilities, wilderness, guest houses, B&Bs and culinary travel are among the exhibitors who have set up at the ICC. Most African countries have prominent stands manned by individual travel and tourism operators. Many senior travel and tourism ministers and delegations are in attendance. Egypt has a stand for the second year in a row. The islands of Mauritius, Reunion and Madagascar are all well represented.

Durban’s head of tourism, Phillip Sithole, said ahead of the opening that attendance was expected to be 30 percent higher this year than last year. He said Indaba was seen as a chance for both Durban and South African tourism to showcase the city of Durban. Major hotels along the city’s beachfront were reporting 90 to 100 percent occupancy for the event.

Emirates (airlines) and South African Tourism last week signed a Memorandum of Agreement that will open the way for the development of joint marketing initiatives aimed at growing the number of visitors from the Middle East to South Africa.

The agreement was signed by Thulani Nzima, South African Tourism chief executive, and Orhan Abbas, Emirates senior vice president, Commercial Operations for Latin America, Southern and Central Africa. It extends until 31 May 2016, and provides a framework under which Emirates and South African Tourism will work together and explore various marketing initiatives aimed at promoting South Africa in various regions in the Middle East which will be identified by the two parties.

South African Airways has daily flights from Washington and New York to Johannesburg, South Africa. Emirates flies directly into Durban.