The return of Africa’s Travel Indaba sets KZN on global tourism heights
AFRICA’s Travel Indaba has not only showcased the myriad tourism offerings that KwaZuluNatal has to offer and highlighted Durban as the place to be, it has also placed South Africa on the global map for travel, tourism and investment once again.
While Durban has been the host city for Africa’s Travel Indaba for several years, the indaba was put on hold for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The return of this signature event brought much-needed relief to the local tourism sector and served as a vital tool to showcase KZN’s tourism offering to the world.
The four-day-long indaba generated R72.5 million for the City’s GDP, and attracted 3 700 visitors from around the world with a direct spend of R29m. Tourism contributes almost 10% to the provincial GDP.
For KwaZulu-Natal, the travel indaba was a welcome boost as the province emerged from the devastation caused by the pandemic, KZN unrest and recent floods.
Phindile Makwakwa, acting chief executive officer of Tourism KZN said there had been incredible teamwork between the sister organisations – Tourism KZN, Durban Tourism, South African Tourism and the Durban ICC.
“This year, KZN came back on the international calendar and demonstrated to the world that the province was ready to host Africa’s Travel Indaba, despite the challenges faced in the past two years.
“Africa’s Travel Indaba also provides a platform for small enterprises and exhibitors who are hungry to showcase their tourism offerings to the world,” she added.
Tourism KZN looks forward to hosting more international delegates at next year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba.
Africa’s Travel Indaba is one of the largest and most exciting tourism marketing events on the African calendar, where stakeholders meet, engage and share with the world inspiring stories of resilience and innovation in tourism. The theme for this year indaba was “Africa’s stories, your success”.
As part of the Tourism
KZN Business Development programme, nine small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) showcased the splendour of the province’s tourism sector at the indaba. Each SMME strived to catch the eye of international buyers and media from across the world, and were able to access global markets that they would not have considered prior to the indaba. The SMMEs that exhibited their products and services were Newcastle Pleasure Guest House, Mt View Lodge, Olungawelwa Tours & Excursions, Amangonyama Tour Operator, Uvukolwethu Corporate Travel, Thokoza Adventures, Cynthias Hive Estate, Impilo Travel & Tours and Thembela Tours.
Amangonyama Tour Operator showcased all that the KZN Midlands has to offer with its breathtaking scenery, rich history, historical buildings and landmarks, and unique cultural experiences for tourists.
“It was our first time exhibiting at Africa’s Travel Indaba and I was expecting to grow my tour company by introducing more clients to our offerings. We offer an authentic cultural and historical experience that is central to the Midlands, and highlights important landmarks such as the Nelson Mandela Capture Site and Howick Falls precinct,” said Nkosikhona Ndlovu, founder and managing director of Amangonyama Tour Operator.