Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom has announced that Africa’s Top Travel Tradeshow, INDABA 2015, will take place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban from 9 to 11 May next year.
INDABA is the biggest platform for African tourism businesses to meet global buyers of their products and services. The three-day show attracts Africa’s best tourism and travel trade offerings, which attract the most influential buyers in the world.
No other travel tradeshow offers such wide representation of African exhibitors to buyers from around the world.
“INDABA is the heartbeat of an African industry that’s united in spirit,” says Minister Hanekom. “We share an entrepreneurial spirit across the continent, and this is helping to develop the tourism industry faster than ever before.”
Minister Hanekom said he looked forward to spending time on the tradeshow floor, exchanging information and ideas with exhibitors and buyers from across South Africa and the rest of Africa.
Tourism product owners across Africa share the common challenge of attracting visitors in an increasingly competitive global market. The tradeshow illustrates how tourism offerings from various African countries have differentiated themselves by using their unique cultural, historical and natural assets to the full benefit of their tourism industries.
About 1 200 tourism products from 25 African countries were exhibited at INDABA 2014. Over 2 000 buyers from around the world attended the show.
“Tourism is a robust and thriving sector of the African economy that is powering job creation and economic growth,” Minister Hanekom says.
The industry is doing a great job. It invites, and welcomes, millions of people to the continent year on year, challenging perceptions and delivering an experience of a beautiful, capable and welcoming continent. We welcome exhibitors and buyers to INDABA 2015 and invite them to celebrate our distinctively African culture of tourism entrepreneurship.”