Durban - Thousands of top tourism delegates from around the world are heading to Durban for the annual Indaba, expected to benefit the local economy by a conservative R260-million.
The big South African tourism-organised trade event, being staged at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, starts on Saturday and runs until Monday, although there are other business networking and social events at other venues across the city.
This year’s Indaba is forecast to be the biggest and the best in Indaba’s 36-year history, according to a media briefing by South African Tourism last month.
As the exhibition stands go up and the hotels prepare for the influx of decision-making delegates – who will be doing deals with exhibitors and putting their tourism offerings in holiday brochures – 150 of the 1 111 buyers who will be coming into the city are looking forward to attending Africa’s premier travel trade show for the first time.
Their job will be to meet small, medium and micro-sized tourism entrepreneurs in a bid to boost domestic tourism. Seventy SMMEs, selected to showcase their products for their uniqueness and authentic representation of South Africa as a destination, include 14 winners of South African Tourism’s coveted Lilizela Awards.
Indaba will kick off with a breakfast briefing hosted by Mike Mabuyakhulu, the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Then, the Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, will ring the bell, signalling the start of the serious business of buying and selling tourism products.
While the public is not invited to the trade show, they will get their chance to interact with a variety of tourism operators and get holiday deals at the KZN Travel and Adventure Show, which will run alongside the ECR House and Garden show at the Durban Exhibition Centre from July 8-10, with one ticket giving access to both shows. The show will be part of Tourism KZN’s Indaba stand.
Daily News