AFRICA’S TRAVEL INDABA WRAPS UP
This year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) was declared a success with KwaZulu-Natal and Durban expecting an economic boost of well over the expected R130-million. Initial figures indicate that the Indaba significantly exceeded expectations with 2022’s figures marginally topping the 2019 pre-Covid high.
Statistics released by ATI Bid Partners show that as many as 8 629 delegates attended compared to 8000 in 2019. This included delegates from 22 African countries as well as 1 023 exhibitors and 1 000 international buyers. 21 000 participants reported having had meaningful meetings with exhibitors while the Durban ICC prepared 6 000 meals a day.
As the first Indaba without any restrictions since COVID-19, this year’s event saw a stronger gathering of African countries – but stakeholders said that there was still work to be done to make Africa’s travel Indaba a truly Pan-African event.
“There are 54 countries in Africa and is important for Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) to make Africa’s Travel Indaba a truly Pan-African event in collaboration with SA Tourism and other partners,” said Nhlanhla Khumalo Acting Chief Executive Officer TKZN.
National Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille, was vocal in her determination to promote African tourism with South Africa featuring as an important hub for travellers from both the continent itself and abroad. She noted a 152,6 % increase in tourism arrivals between January and December 2022 with four million of these coming from the African continent.
Central to challenges to growing African tourism included visa bottlenecks which made it difficult for travelers to travel form one country to the next. De Lille said she was working on the roll out of an –via system to countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt and to expand this system to 20 more countries.
Meanwhile, Khumalo pointed out that the best way to sell Africa was to experience Africa and a number of post ATI tours took place during the weekend after the Indaba.
“A strong element of Indaba is the hosting of buyers and media on tours to various destinations so they can experience what our province offers for themselves and package KwaZulu-Natal for their clients,” he said.
As an example, he indicated that a group of 50 buyers from SADC – Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Namibia – visited the Drakensberg and Midlands. They went quad biking, did the Karkloof Canopy tour, visited the Nelson Mandela Capture Site and the Midlands Meander. Another group went to the South Coast and a third tour went to the North Coast.
“We say KZN has it all! Believe it! But people need to experience the culture, the adventure, the mountains, the tranquility, the history for themselves so they transfer their experience to their clients in their travel packages,” said Khumalo.
Similarly, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which manages KZN’s parks and game reserves hosted a post Indaba tour for a group of UK travel buyers and the Richards Bay Destination Marketing Company to Isimangaliso Wetland Park where they visited the Crocodile Centre, went to the Game Capture Museum, the Centenary Craft Centre and then to the Hlulhluwe area where they enjoyed umleqwa chicken.
“We are very pleased that as many as 400 travel buyers participated in our seven wonders of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Park virtual reality experience,” said Sihle Mkhize Acting Chief Executive Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
“By making our travel experiences tangible, we are able to sell our story to international markets which has played a part in our exponential increase in visitors to our protected areas”, he said.
Year on year to April 2023, the number of visitors increased by 65% from 39 958 to 66 091 which also beats their pre-Covid 2019 figures of 56 385.
“While domestic visitors make up the lions’s hare of visitors to the parks at 88,4%, international visitors made up 11,6% of the total. This translates into 7 499 visitors which is 150% higher than 2022, indicating a wonderful recovery. Our post Indaba tours are aimed at maintaining these numbers whilst attracting more visitors,” he said.
The most visited game park was Hluhluwe-iMfolozi with 26% of the total visitors, followed by Midmar 20% and Royal Natal National Park 9%. Each of the remaining parks received less than 5% each of the total visitors.
