The CEO of South African Tourism Sisa Ntshona summed up this year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba perfectly.
During the bid party wrap up, Ntshona said Indaba was essentially a “show and tell” of some of the continents biggest travel and tourism offerings.
With over 22 African countries in attendance and more than 1000 exhibitors, this year’s travel and trade show was one of the biggest yet.
Earlier this week, Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom predicted its success by claiming this year’s event to be "the most beautiful, most fabulous and greatest Indaba events in history."
Statistics revealed that there was an increase on last year’s confirmed meetings. In addition, the event welcomed thousands to Durban shores.
Ntshona, quite pleased with the success of this year’s event, said this year’s event celebrated Nelson Mandela’s centenary with the launch of 100 travel experiences within the 9 provinces.
This showcase of Mandela’s favourite travel spots and places he loved to visit can be found on the Madiba’s Journey App, which allows users to view the attractions on a map, build their itineraries and share their own journeys on social media.
“We have seen more African countries show interest in joining the event year on year. Our aim for this event is to make sure that our guests travel experiences at Indaba remains with them wherever they go.
“Next year’s event will be bigger and better,” he said.
CEO of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal Phindile Makwakwa said they will work with South African Tourism to analyse the impact of Indaba on the city.
“We will look at this year’s impact and find ways to better the Indaba experience,” she said.
Deputy City Manager for Economic Development Phillip Sithole expressed his faith in Durban being the home of Indaba for the next 4 years.
“Indaba has created many opportunities for us. In line with the recent British Airways announcement, I believe that this trade show made headway for partnerships with the airlines and travellers to the city.
“Durban is a leading African city that is constantly changing. The city will be quite different in the next few years with the innovative projects in the pipeline,” he said.
Next year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba will take place from May 6-9, 2019.