Top 5 Highlights from Africa's Travel Indaba 2023

 

By Fred Felton | May 17, 2023.

Africa’s Travel Indaba 2023 started off with much fanfare and networking in Durban, South Africa from 8^th May 2023. Here are just five of the highlights from the travel and trade show.

BONDay

The event kicked off with the Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) which featured a great deal of networking and some of the top speakers in the travel industry.

Tourism for Africa

Richard Quest in discussion with the South African Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille at Indaba. | Photo: Fred Felton 

On the next day Africa’s Travel Indaba was officially opened by South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille. The Minister of Tourism noted that South Africa was rolling out an e-visa system for several African countries including Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt. The goal was to expand the e-visa system to 20 more countries. ‘’Our people across the continent of Africa are our greatest asset,’’ said South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille.

The eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda noted that it was an honour for Durban to host Africa’s Travel Indaba this year.

The Durban Tourism stand was a hive of activity during Indaba. | Photo: Fiona Wainwright

Speed Marketing

The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa hosted three speed marketing events at Africa’s Travel Indaba. Each event covered different topics such as Scenic Beauty, Township and Nightlife and Wildlife and Safari tourism offerings. Each session allowed for a short amount of time to market each tourism product featured. If a speaker took too long to finish their speech they were quickly cut off with sounds such as the noise a Hadeda bird makes or the sound a minibus taxi hooter makes.

There were a variety of speakers at these events and they shared the highlights of their tourism products and offerings. James McCulloch from Big Skies near Kosi Bay told us about the lodge he works for and the various offerings in the area. They offer a relaxing place where you can unwind and switch off from technology. Activities include beach walks, scuba diving and the lodge even offers vegetarian meals only.

USA Market

There were a variety of talks and workshops at Indaba including a workshop on how tourism companies from South Africa can target the USA market. Shelby Johnson, VP Partner Strategy at UM Worldwide shared some statistics that could help SA tourism leverage the USA tourism market. ‘‘6 in 10 adults believe it’s vital to learn about the culture of the place they travel to,’’ said Shelby Johnson. She also suggested that those in tourism identify relevant trends in the industry and draw from inspiration.

Stephanie M. Jones, Founder & CEO of Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. shared with the audience deeper insights into how African-Americans travel. ‘’Black travellers spent $109.4 billion on travel in 2019,’’ said Stephanie M. Jones.

 She also revealed why African-Americans like to travel to South Africa. There are a variety of reasons which include shared values, rich cultural heritage, the opportunity of a lifetime and diverse experiences. Stephanie M. Jones advised South African tourism companies to interact with African-American travellers.  ‘’Speak our language, join our spaces, leverage local marketing networks, join the Black Travel Movement on Facebook,’’ said Ms. Jones.

The Stats

Africa’s Travel Indaba 2023 attracted a wide variety of visitors from all around the world. These included 1000 international buyers, around 1000 exhibitors, 350 products, 123 small businesses and there were visitors from 21 African countries. There were many meetings held over the event and much discussion was had about tourism and travel offerings.

The LN Watches stand at the Sustainability Village captured the eye of many a visitor with their eye catching watch designs. | Photo: Fiona Wainwright 

The event contributed significantly to the Durban Gross Domestic Product which was estimated at R130 million and spending amounting to R78 million which resulted in the creation of 250 job opportunities.

For more information visit: www.indaba-southafrica.co.za