Building on the success of Meetings Africa, South Africa Tourism (SAT) is poised to give patrons of this year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba more opportunities to connect and do business in a safe environment.
Acting CEO of South Africa Tourism said this when he took his turn on the VA Tourism Podcast with Kojo Bentum-Williams. As a people-centered industry, Themba Khumalo insists that the very nature of tourism provides for a lot of interaction and networking among stakeholders and that is exactly what they intend to deliver at Africa’s Travel Indaba
“We’re going to continue to make sure that as we go to Indaba, we’ve got sufficient social spaces so that people can interact and reconnect with one another as they do business. This is the tourism industry, and it has to have a high element of fun, social interaction, and it is our continued intention to make sure that we create those spaces for people to reconnect.” he iterated.
The SAT Head disclosed that the event this year will take a hybrid format.
“We’ve got to make sure that while we are encouraging people to meet in person, that we also provide the virtual opportunities for people to still participate and do business. We’ve got to keep those platforms going in order to make sure that those who are unable to travel could still do business.”
As the third biggest leisure show in the world and the biggest in Africa, Khumalo said they are aware of the scale of Africa Travel Indaba and will put in place adequate measures to manage the large numbers, scale-up protocols while ensuring that there are no disruptions in business flow.
He added that as an African show, organisers are bent on maximizing opportunities for patrons of Africa’s Tourism Indaba.
Khumalo averred, “What we have done, building on the momentum of Meetings Africa, is to make sure that Indaba continues; and increasingly so, to be an African show. So we have made sure that we diversify the opportunities for everyone on the continent that is coming in to be able to feel and have an equitable participation.”
The Acting SAT Boss also emphasized that although they are not expecting pre-Covid numbers, they hope to attract quality buyers to ensure that “we’ve got an equitable return in that direction as we return to full blown tourism on the continent and internationally.”
Africa’s Travel Indaba 2022 will take place from 02 – 05 May 2022 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (previously Durban ICC).
Story by Samuel Obeng-Appah
