Africa's Travel Show Opens in South Africa's Durban

Africa's Travel Indaba kicked off on 8 May in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal of South Africa, with the country's Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille calling for collaboration between African countries to grow the tourism sector.

De Lille said the event provides for face-to-face interactions, networking, sharing ideas, and forging partnerships that will enhance the industry's recovery.

More than 20 African countries are taking part in the event, which will end Thursday, where over 350 tourism products are displayed.

"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," said de Lille.

Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube of KwaZulu-Natal Province welcomed delegates and encouraged them to visit various resorts during their stay to explore the province.

She said tourism is one of the priority areas used to recover from COVID-19. "Africa's Travel Indaba is a welcome boost for KwaZulu-Natal. It is an appropriate opportunity for our country and province to reenter the world stage and through tourism, to rekindle and enhance the prospects of our economic growth and employment creation."

"We are ready to welcome the world to the Zulu Kingdom and let our story shine through our rich history, meandering mountains, authentic Zulu culture, our renowned World Heritage sites and vibrant city nightlife," Dube-Ncube said.

Africa's Travel Indaba is an iconic African leisure trade show, owned by South African Tourism, with the specific objective of creating market access for the vast array of African leisure tourism products.

The trade show was preceded by a dedicated Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) which seeks to create a platform for thought leadership, knowledge sharing and obtaining the latest in global trends and local insights. The BONDay program is developed in close collaboration with global tourism organizations, continental experts as well as industry associations.