With a fully sold-out floor space, Africa’s Travel Indaba has reached a ground-breaking achievement as it will see an unprecedented participation of 26 African countries exhibiting this year. This is testament to the pivotal role the trade show plays in advancing the continent’s growth.
This year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba will take place from the 14th to the 16th of May 2024 and will be preceded by Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONday) on the 13th of May. This is an important gathering of the global tourism sector and other related industry stakeholders.
The 26 countries exhibiting this year include Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. These countries represent a total of 344 products that will be showcased, an increase of 14 % compared to last year’s 301 products.
Burkina Faso, Eritrea, and Guinea are the three new entrants.
Overall, a total of 55 countries are participating in this year’s event including all newcomers.
In total, this year’s event will see more than 1 030 exhibitors showcasing their products and tourism offerings and more than 890 buyers attending the event from all over the world.
The buyers include inbound tour operators, foreign travel agents, destination marketing companies, online booking agents and airlines.
As usual, the Department of Tourism will be funding the participation of 120 South African small to medium enterprises to exhibit their tourism offerings at this year’s Africa Travel indaba and gain exposure to wide ranging network of tourism trade industry players from all over Africa and the world.
“Africa’s Travel Indaba’s ongoing mission and commitment to driving the continent’s economic development and fostering collaboration and growth is clear. I am particularly pleased to welcome the new countries that are joining us exhibiting at the trade show for the first time. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership,” says South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille.
The increase in the number of countries can be attributed to several key factors including the fact that in the past few years, tourism has also emerged as a cornerstone of sustainable development strategies across the continent.
“Africa’s Travel Indaba provides a platform for African tourism product owners to meet with global buyers. With a record number of participating countries this year, buyers will have a wide variety of products and experiences to engage with. I am confident that Africa’s Travel Indaba will continue to be a fertile environment for closing business deals that nurture partnership and drive growth,” adds Minister de Lille.
The number of countries opting to exhibit at Africa’s Travel Indaba also reflects a collective commitment to showcasing the diverse and unique tourism offerings that each country has to offer. By coming together on a unified platform, these African nations amplify their voices and strengthen their position in the global tourism market, thereby driving demand for African tourism products and experiences.
The rest of the African continent remains a key source market for South Africa. According to the latest statistics, in the first two months of 2024, South Africa welcomed 1.3 million tourists from the rest of the African continent, marking a significant 76.0% of all arrivals.
Minister de Lille continues to be pleased with the impressive numbers from the African continent once again highlighting that South Africa welcomed 6.4 million visitors from the rest of the African continent between January and December 2023, marking a significant 75.6% of all arrivals.
Source: Pondoland Times.
