TOURISM Indaba might officially get down to business tomorrow, but the networking got under way on Sunday night.
That was when partners Durban Tourism, South Africa Tourism and Tourism KZN welcomed the 200 hosted media from around the world to the city, province and the country.
Some 400 other media are expected to converge on the Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC for the three-day event, the premier tourism trade show in Africa, and one of the three “must-see” global tourism gatherings in the world.
Despite the rainy conditions, the beachfront venue of The Joint was “fully packed with journalists and media experts from Korea, India, around Africa, India, Germany and the UK, among others,” said May Moodley of Durban Tourism.
The visitors were presented with colourful headwraps as they entered the venue, and were then entertained with local bands and DJs and got to taste South African fare and wine.
TKZN will host the first big event of the three-day Indaba tomorrow morning, when Sihle Zikalala, the MEC of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, will tell guests at the annual breakfast what has been happening during the year and what the future focus will be. He will share details about new developments in KZN and the strides undertaken in making the region more accessible to tourists.
Another big plus for the region is the host of new direct international flights coming into King Shaka International Airport.
The major announcement about where the next Tourism Indabas will be staged will be made tomorrow. The local hospitality industry - and various politicians down the years - have long said that it should be permanently staged in Durban.
Durban and the province have already hosted the South Africa Tourism-owned event for 25 consecutive years and for a total of 28 years.
Whichever city wins the tender to stage it, will host it for another five years.