Durban — Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) 2023 is expected to be an economic boom again this year for Africa’s tourism sector as well as for KwaZulu-Natal.
More than 20 countries will participate and will showcase more than 350 products.
This year’s event promises to be a vibrant and diverse representation of the industry, and there will be a vast array of unusual and exciting offerings.
So said Tourism KwaZulu-Natal acting CEO Nhlanhla Khumalo, who spoke on Monday at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.
The MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Siboniso Duma, did a walkabout of the stands and officially opened the Tourism KwaZulu-Natal stand.
Khumalo said that this year, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal made provision for unemployed youth to play a crucial role as part of the safety team for the duration of the Indaba.
A total of 40 young people will participate in two ways; they will be assisting the delegates in different aspects of the conference and beyond the boundaries of the conference facilities. Khumalo said their job was to also become the eyes and ears of law enforcement agencies.
“We want to ensure that the safety of delegates is guaranteed. The second part is that we have made provision for 15 of them to do exhibitions at the small tourism enterprises, and the additional five of them will be moving around selling their products to different buyers within the vicinity of the conference venue,” he said.
Khumalo said Tourism KwaZulu-Natal had been part of the ATI for more than 18 years.
“In 2020 and 2021, we did not have the ATI, but we only started hosting it again in 2022, and we have been granted the extension of additional three years until the year 2025,” he said.
Khumalo said that beyond opportunities created for young people in the small tourism enterprises, ATI also contributed to the increase in visitor arrivals in the province.
“In 2022, we had a total of 5 517 delegates that participated and this time around, we hope to get more than 6 000 delegates. This also assists us to increase our tourism spans in the province.”
The Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, said the Department of Tourism was supporting 123 local small inbound tourism enterprises through its Market Access Support Programme to showcase its products and services at the Hidden Gems pavilion during the ATI.
This programme aims to address the cost barriers associated with exhibition and roadshow participation for small businesses by offering partial financial support to qualifying enterprises to participate at selected international and local tourism trade shows, she said.
“We are determined to drive the recovery of the tourism industry and to ensure that we continue to contribute to creating jobs and grow the continent’s economy.
“It is vital that we work together to promote Africa as a preferred tourist destination for both leisure tourism and business events. The public and private sectors must unite to showcase the continent’s diverse offerings and leverage technology, spur innovation, and create memorable experiences for visitors,” de Lille said.
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