A team of tour operators and travel agents from Nigeria and Ghana were at the just ended Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) in South Africa.
The event, the first in two years concluded on high note having attracted well over 4000 participants from around the world with more than 50 countries including 18 from Africa.
The group from Nigeria and Ghana had been facilitated by South African Tourism through its West Africa regional office led by Thekiso Rakolojane and Mohammed Tanko Kwajaffa.
Leading their respective outfits to ATI were President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies
(NANTA), Mrs. Susan Akon Akporiaye and President of the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA), Mrs. Alisa Osei-Asamoah.
In an interview with VoyagesAfriq, Mrs. Akporiaye said the feeling to be back at ATI with her NANTA members was a delightful one.
“It is a feeling of excitement actually because we missed it for two years. Being in the industry, we are also lovers of travel and for you to be successful in the travel and tourism industry, one of your hobbies has to be travelling, exploring new places so it’s a feeling of excitement that finally we are back,” she iterated.”
The NANTA President averred her impression for the variety of new tourism products and services that were on display at the event.
Mrs. Akpoyiare emphasised, “I was really impressed, a lot of new products from what we used to know. And interestingly, there are new things to do, new things to explore, and new opportunities. This shows that recovery for us in the industry is nearer than we ever thought it to be, so we are good to go, and ready for business.
“For us in NANTA, we’ve been ready actually, during the lockdown, we talked so much about looking inwards and encouraging more travels within the continent, so we are ready to explore the continent of Africa and see what the continent has to offer because we know the continent has a lot to offer but we need to discover it. So this is our road to discovery,” she added.
Her Ghanaian counterpart, Mrs. Osei-Asamoah expressing similar views stressed the significance of the return of ATI to tour operators.
“We couldn’t have been any happier to be here in Durban to participate in ATI 2022. The two-year absence took away quite a lot from us in terms of the packages to South Africa and so, I am happy our members got the opportunity to reengage with their partners here and ink new deals, she stated.
The TOUGHA President added that diversity of the tourism offerings showcased, was a demonstration of how mindful South Africa was of the changing needs of tourists even as COVID-19 ushered in a new paradigm.
Mrs. Osei Asamoah posited: “We’ve got to give up for South Africa for how particular they have been about meeting the needs of tourists in the wake of changes in the tastes and preferences that have been occasioned by Coronavirus. Africa’s Travel Indaba 2022 showed that clearly, and the quality of exhibitors and buyers also reflect the destination’s readiness for serious business. And again, we are thankful for the opportunity to be part of this year’s event.”
Both association presidents reiterated their members’ readiness to sell and promote South Africa as a destination to clients and prospects.
This year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba took place from May 2 – 5 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (formerly, Durban ICC) on the theme, “Africa’s Stories, Your success.”
Courtesy of South African Tourism, the group from Ghana and Nigeria is currently on a post-event familiarization tour of sites, attractions and facilities within the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
