Prospecting for ‘Gold’ at Indaba!

This year’s Tourism Indaba from 12 to 15 May, takes place three years before the 2010 FIFA World Cup

For South Africa, as already noted previously, the greatest value of tourism lies in its power to bring people together and to uplift communities. This unifying force is most visible in the way that tourism draws people across great geographical distances, locally and internationally.

Natural icons like Table Mountain, the Drakensberg, Lookout Hill in Khayelitsha, the bushveld, and God’s Window have all existed for centuries, however, tourism up until more recent times was the exception not the rule.

Now that south Africa’s peoples have reached out to one another, with communities finding a common ground, tourism is flourishing all over the country. Indaba is a direct result of this snowballing tourism development, where a growing number of companies and organisations each year showcase the best of South and Southern Africa.

The tourism industry is often referred to as South Africa’s new gold – and Indaba has become Africa’s premier travel and trade show.  The objective of Indaba is to effectively market South Africa globally as a preferred tourist destination and expand these new goldfields!

Indaba in fact now has a gold standard theme, with Indaba imagery carrying a ‘touch of gold’. It is promoted as the ‘Gold Standard Travel Trade Show’, with a growing number of added-value incentives. This includes the Indaba Golf Day immediately preceding the show, industry seminars and the Buyer’s Networking Evening, all of which were a big success last year.

“In order to grow INDABA, we have plans to introduce even more seminars for international visitors and exhibitors in the future. Our aim is to bring INDABA in line- and on par with global travel trade shows such as the World Travel Market (WTM) in London and the Internationale Tourismus-Böurse (ITB) in Berlin,” says Sindile Xulu, the INDABA Project Manager.

Incentives for Indaba 2007 include:

Indaba’s 2007 Networking Golf Day is scheduled for Friday 11 May at the Durban Country Club. Delegates will have the opportunity for one-to-one networking opportunities whilst shouting “Fore!”

The Buyer’s Networking Evening on 14 May at the Elangeni Hotel. Where invited international buyers will be able to interact closely with local stakeholders in a relaxed environment.

The Department of Environmental affairs and Tourism (DEAT) SMME Workshop. This is part of a development program for South African SMMEs to encourage and assist them to introduce their products to international markets (by invitation).

Africa Travel Co Educational Talks (30 minute public talks) on their stand throughout the show.

Free Online Marketing Educational Seminar on 14 May aimed at enabling South African Tourism businesses to harness the internet – the response was so overwhelming, registration has closed! (There are plans to introduce more seminars for international visitors and exhibitors).

Brekky and Dinner functions, presentations, launches and briefings from individual exhibitors – and lots of ‘em!

The Global Media Face-Off, a topical and engaging debate on the most pertinent issues facing South Africa’s tourism industry today. The media face-off is renowned for its controversial, yet entertaining tone…

The Beach Party, at New Beach, has also become a popular public event!

The importance of the Tourism Indaba in South Africa

In explaining the importance of the INDABA in general, Moeketsi Mosola, CEO of South African Tourism explained that: “This is the continent’s most prestigious travel trade show. It is the one place and time on the annual tourism calendar when the entire South African tourism industry is united in the pursuit of a common objective – to sell our destination effectively in order to grow the industry and the economy. This makes INDABA a truly ‘golden’ opportunity.”

Tourism now contributes about 7% to the gross domestic product of South Africa and should reach 12% by 2014. South African tourism is growing faster than anywhere else in the world.

1.  Tourism contributed R55 billion to the South African economy in 2005, generating nearly half a million jobs
2.  8.4 million international tourists visited South Africa in 2006, over a million more than the year before (a growth of 13.6% in one year)
3.  Africa’s tourism has grown at a rate of around 10% a year in recent years – more than double the global tourism growth rate.

To learn more about Indaba 2007, just click the following link:

http://www.indaba-southafrica.co.za/Default.aspx

Thar’s gold in them thar hills and it may now be the right time to go prospecting!

Report by The Mole