PHOTO: Sthu Zungu, president of South African Tourism North America, is confident that SAT's trade show Indaba continues to be the principal travel trade event in South Africa. (Courtesy of South African Tourism)
TravelPulse interviewed Sthu Zungu, president of South African Tourism North America, just as she was preparing to depart New York to attend Indaba, the annual travel trade show produced by South African Tourism. The show will take place at the Albert Luthuli Convention Center in Durban, South Africa, May 10-12.
TravelPulse: Why was Indaba reduced from a four-day show to a three-day show this year?
Sthu Zungu: Indaba is a three-day show this year because Indaba has decided to partner We Are Africa, May 5-8, just before Indaba May 10-12.
TP: Yes, the travel industry shows seem to be piling up in South Africa over the space of about a month. Besides Indaba and We Are Africa, there is also the luxury show ILTM Africa, which took place April 28-30 in Cape Town, World Travel Market Africa in Cape Town May 2-3 and Africa Travel Week, April 30-May 3 in Cape Town.
SZ: There have been a few shows that have decided to look at us in South Africa, so South Africa this year, in seeing that and the reality of what is going on, has gone on to make Indaba a true pan-African show with many African destinations showcasing there.
The buyers have been encouraged to attend We Are Africa a few days before Indaba and then come and join Indaba. As a result of that strategic alliance, we have Indaba as a three-day show.
So the developments are of a pan-African nature. Already in previous years we have seen a huge presence of Southern Africa at Inbaba, but this year - I don't have the latest - but confirmed at the beginning of April were Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Reunion Islands, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia,
Uganda, Benin, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria were awaiting final signature. They were still talking to Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Togo, Sudan and Mali.
So we know that Indaba has that uniqueness in being a show for everybody who wants to deal with Africa. Indaba is the place to be. It's a noncommercial show in the sense that it is run by South African Tourism in partnership with the province of KwaZulu-Natal and Durban Tourism and an array of other partners.
It really is a show that offers the breadth and depth of Africa and what the continent offers. You have there from the small bed and breakfast to the biggest tour operator you can find on the continent. It's really where you can find out what is available. As a tour operator or person in the trade you can make for yourself what it is you want out of the destination.
TP: Are the other shows more focused locally on South Africa?
SZ: Yes, from what we learned they are more South African and of course they are bringing buyers from various parts of the world using the promise of staying in Cape Town that they usually use for the different shows, but most likely they are more focused on South Africa, so the distinguishing factor really is Indaba is that it is a truly pan-African show. And those shows are commercial, they are run by commercial entities.
The partnership with We Are Africa allows us to encourage people who want to attend in Cape Town and be part of something that is new, because there's obviously something novel there, but then come to Indaba, which is the platform for anyone starting to sell. And I would say for American operators who want to get a sense of what is available, not just high end, Indaba is the place you have to come.
TP: Has Indaba's attendance been affected by all the new shows?
SZ: First of all we see it as a positive thing. There is a real demand for the continent and everybody sees an opportunity there, so that is a good thing.
And I imagine that with any new show that comes to the stage, it would be likely that many people would want to go see what is going on, but from what I've heard, even more work has done this year to make sure more buyers come to Indaba. We've been hard at work to bring in buyers from America and obviously other countries as well. I don't have the numbers. We will know when we get down there, but something heard earlier some of the really high-end products, like Singita for example, have decided to stay with Indaba, some of the high-end hotels, because Indaba is the show about building the industry for South Africa. So I don't know how much we may have lost as a result of these other shows, but with this partnership with We Are Africa South Africa Tourism is confident that we should retain the numbers that we've had in the past. It's been tried and tested and remains a robust platform.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
