Africa Regional Manager for Tourism KwaZulu-Natal Mpume Sibiya says, while South African Tourism has pulled out all the stops for this year’s Travel Indaba – they want to see large numbers of people visiting.
Sibiya was speaking to SABC News on the side-lines of the 2019 edition of the Travel Indaba at Durban’s International Convention Centre.
The event showcases the widest variety of Africa’s best tourism products and attracts visitors from across the world to visit the continent.
Sibiya says they hope the efforts pay off.
#Indaba19 is already breaking records, with 1 023 exhibitors, of which 257 are from the continent, representing 19 African countries, more than we had in 2018. They are showcasing the best of what Africa has to offer to 1 828 approved buyers from 88 countries. pic.twitter.com/9U8UJZg7H4
— Travel Indaba (@travel_indaba) May 2, 2019
“We’ve done a lot of work and efforts to try and re-position the indaba by making sure that we attract high quality buyers that have the interest to sell and package South Africa and the different provinces.”
“The main thing about this platform is that we want South Africa to be sold to international platforms. Ultimately, we want to see this translate into numbers. We host this platform and it need to translate into numbers. The reality with tourism is that it is a long term tourism investment sector,” adds Sibiya.
South Africa prides itself on being one of the top tourist destinations in the world. On average, the country welcomes over 3 million* (2017) visitors to its shores annually, making tourism one of the the key sectors that drives economic growth. #Indaba19 #AfricaMovesYou pic.twitter.com/L5WlQdMue3
— Brand South Africa (@Brand_SA) May 2, 2019
