Last week, South African Tourism met with its bid partners for Africa’s Travel Indaba – including Durban Tourism, Tourism KwaZulu Natal and the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban – and preparations for the show are in “full swing”, said Chief Convention Bureau Officer of the South African National Convention Bureau, Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo.

She said about 75 exhibitors had already registered for the highly anticipated African travel trade show, which will be held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban from May 2 to 5.

“We are ready to deliver a successful event that will showcase Africa’s rich and diverse tourism offering,” said Kotze-Nhlapo.

Indaba will be the second trade show to be held as a live event by South African Tourism this year, with the three-day Meetings Africa event set to kick off on Monday, February 28.

“The return of these two events signifies the start of recovery for Africa’s hard-hit tourism sector and it is a real privilege for South Africa to host these events and be part of the continent’s tourism recovery journey post COVID,” Kotze-Nhlapo said.

She noted that Meetings Africa and Indaba were not being arranged in isolation of each other. “There have been ongoing conversations about both events since we announced in 2021 that they would take place this year.”

Kotze-Nhlapo added that once Meetings Africa concluded on March 2, it would be “full-steam ahead”, with SA Tourism focusing on Indaba.

This should provide reassurance to many in the industry who have been asking about the status of Indaba, with some questioning whether it was going ahead.

The message is clear, said Kotze-Nhlapo: “Africa’s Travel Indaba is back.”

Registration for buyers has yet to open

The Indaba website has gone live but there is, however, still frustration from some sectors of the industry that registration for buyers has not yet opened.

“Normally by the end of February, registration for desks on our ATTA stand would have been open for months. By now, our stand would be fully booked, and we would be finalising details with our stand builders. And our members, the buyers and suppliers of African tourism, are becoming increasingly frustrated that they are still denied the opportunity to make appointments and plan their travel itineraries,” said Chris Mears, MD of Experience Africa Events – a division of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA) – in a comment piece for Tourism Update.

He pointed out that ATTA had taken part in every Indaba since 1998, as one of the largest private sector exhibitors for many years.

“We have always believed that Indaba is a vitally important show for the African tourism industry. It’s purely Africa focused, and open to all sizes of businesses and levels of luxury, from budget camping operators to top-end luxury, from all corners of the African continent.”

Now was the time for industry to reconnect in person, said Mears, adding: “We need to know what the show format is going to look like, how much the stands are going to cost, and what the programme will be for buyers attending the show. We need to finalise plans and get actively marketing Africa, promoting the business of African travel and tourism."