Celebrating a record year of tourism growth and unpacking the new goals set for the tourism industry will be the focus of INDABA 2011, which is being hosted again by South African Tourism this year at Durban’s Albert Luthuli Convention Centre from 6-11 May 2011.
Preparations are well underway for Africa’s biggest travel and tourism trade show – which spans 27 000 square metres – with more than 13 000 visitors, 1 300 exhibitors, over 170 international hosted buyers and hundreds of local and international media expected this year at INDABA.
With the theme of ‘Playing Globally, Winning Locally’, INDABA 2011 will pay tribute to the role played by the South African tourism industry in achieving 15.1% growth and an all-time high of over eight million tourists in 2010. South African Tourism and its stakeholders will use INDABA to highlight issues such as the phenomenal growth and opportunities in emerging markets in Asia and the Americas, while keeping the focus on the country’s core tourism markets. It will also place the emphasis on a renewed drive to stimulate domestic tourism and encourage South Africans to explore their own country.
“When the tourism industry met at INDABA last year it was amidst great excitement, anticipation and intense global scrutiny shortly before our country’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Ms Thandiwe January-McLean, Chief Executive Officer of South African Tourism (SA Tourism).
“The event’s phenomenal success enhanced worldwide positivity and awareness of our destination and contributed to a record-breaking year for the South African tourism industry.
“At INDABA 2011 we will pay tribute to the role played by the entire tourism industry in helping to showcase our country in such a positive light, while looking at the factors and trends that led to South Africa outperforming the global rate of tourism growth by over eight percent last year and the opportunities which have emanated as a result,” he said.
HM will be reporting live from INDABA 2011, which takes place from May 7-10 at the Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC). For more information, including visitor registration, visit www.indaba-southafrica.co.za