Once again, South African Tourism and the good people of the ‘Rainbow Country’ are anxiously waiting to welcome visitors to this year’s edition of the annual Africa’s Travel Indaba.
As in the tradition of the foremost continental tourism expo, this year’s edition brings together Africa’s tourism sector with the sole aim to fast track and grow the tourism sector recovery.
As well, like in previous editions, Indaba will once again bring together Africa’s tourism products and experiences for direct engagement with global travel buyers and sellers.
However, the three-day expo, which runs from May 9-11, 2023 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, has so much to offer, particularly new offerings to visitors.
New theme
First, the expo is being held on a new theme; “Unlimited Africa”! The new theme signals that the African continent is open, especially after covid-19, for the world to come and discover, connect and grow.
New face of ATI
Moreover, this year’s ATI has a new face. The expo will be opened by Patricia de Lille, the new Minister of Tourism, South Africa. On May 9th, she will perform the opening ceremony, for the first time in her role as Minister of Tourism. This offers an opportunity for
new engagement for visitors, trade associations, government agencies, travel buyers and sellers and even the media.
160 first-time exhibitors
Of course, this year, ATI has surpassed previous editions in attracting new exhibitors as a whopping 160 first-time exhibitors are gracing this year’s edition.Riding on that success, ATI broke another record ‘post-covid’ this year by attracting more African countries.
Read also: African Tourism Board appoints Didier Bayeye as Global Ambassador
Juicier African participation
With more exhibitors from Africa (just under 800 from 18 African countries), this year is going to witness juicer African participation.In 2022, the show attracted more 5, 500 delegates from all over the world, with 634 exhibiting businesses from 19 countries on
the continent, showcasing an array of travel and tourism offerings to regional and international buyers.
Launch of new product/initiatives
The much-anticipated announcement of the global initiative on sustainable and responsible tourism by South African Tourism (SA Tourism) will happen at the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) stand on May 10th
There will be the launch of the Basic Quality Verification Programme at ATI this year by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa. It is a programme that helps small tourism establishments in under-resourced areas reach their full potential by giving unemployed
youth access to training.
New focus on sustaining recovery across Africa
Each year, ATI has been highlighting why Africa is a must-visit continent and the destination of choice. This year, championing the sustenance of the continent’s tourism sector recovery with insights from experts that will benefit industry stakeholders and businesses.
In line with that, Minister de Lille highlighted the role Africa’s Travel Indaba plays in contributing to Africa’s tourism sector recovery and growth post the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now it is up to each and every one of us to play our part to re-ignite the African economy. We win, when we all win! Africa’s Travel Indaba presents us with an opportunity to continue with the efforts we started last year when the sector met in person for the
first time post the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Minister de Lille.
Do not also forget the Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) on May8th. It is a carefully curated selection of educational sessions, informative current trends as well as topical issues being discussed with the business events industry in a meaningful
way.
So, get ready to experience new things, make new contacts, seal new deals and network like never before at this year’s edition of Africa’s Travel Indaba.
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