A hectic three days await 3700 delegates from 55 countries around the world as Travel Indaba 2022 gets underway in Durban in South Africa, amidst much fanfare and in an African ambience with the backdrop of music and dance. Africa’s premiere travel show returns with a bang after a gap of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inaugurating Africa’s Travel Indaba 2022, one of leading travel trade shows in Africa, South African Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu underlines the urgency of the global tourism industry rapidly adopting responsible and sustainable tourism practices in order to curtail its carbon footprint.

‘‘Responsible tourism has to be the way of the future. Practicing tourism that minimises carbon footprints, conserves energy and water, reduces waste and plastic consumption, and ensures that fair benefits accrue to communities and employees, is not just an option – it is vitally important. Ensuring that communities access real benefits from tourism is critical to the success and sustainability of this industry on our continent,” Sisulu told a packed convention centre at Durban where Indaba is returning after a pandemic-enforced break of two years.

Over 3700 delegates are attending the event which will see over 23,000 B2B meetings conducted at the travel fair. In her address Sisulu referred to the recent devastation wreaked upon the entire KwaZulu Natal province by unprecedented floods, which had had hit Durban hard. She congratulated the provincial government and others for ensuring that Travel Indaba went ahead despite the floods and the Covid-19 challenges, even though the floods. “I know I have said numerous times before, but I will say it again, the tourism sector is incredibly resilient. And us being here today is testament to that,” she said.

Referring to the theme of this year’s event, Africa’s Stories, Your Success, Sisulu said, “When we start telling our own story as a continent, we embark on the journey of changing the narrative about Africa. We invite the world to join and journey with us as we together, tell the story of Africa. And importantly, we ourselves rediscover who we are, a proud invincible people who survived the brutality of colonialism.”

On the theme of the event,  South African Tourism’s Acting CEO, Themba Khumalo says, “Africa’s stories, your success, asks all Africans to own the continent’s narrative by telling our stories to the world. There is one very simple way to grab opportunities: by telling our unique stories. Every single African is a storyteller. From the griots of West Africa to South Africa’s very own Grammy Award-winning DJ, Black Coffee, the world is waiting in awe to gobble up our stories, arts and numerous cultures.”

He added that when Africans tell their own stories, they embark on the journey of changing the continent’s narrative. “We shift perceptions from a continent that needs saving, to a continent that is thriving. We no longer look to the world for affirmation or inspiration; the world looks to us. Each one of us would need to be storytellers. So please, do tell your story at Africa’s biggest travel trade show and be a part of the great African story and to write your success,” Khumalo told the gathering.

In clear sign of an imminent strong resumption of tourism to Africa, a total of 625 buyers are at the event, meeting over 630 exhibitors from across the African continent.

Sisulu added that her ministry has undertaken some important steps to make travelling to South Africa easier. “We have already seen positive developments around the roll-out of the e-visa regime for some our key source markets. This is not only important for South Africa’s tourism sector recovery, but also for the greater continent’s intra-trade activities. I am committed to continue with these engagements in addressing the barriers that continue to plague our destination and hinder us from becoming and even more appealing destination for more tourist and with that realising much-needed growth,’’ she said.

According to Durban city officials, Africa Travel Indaba plays a significant role in boosting the city’s tourism economy as it will have a direct spend of ZAR 29 million and contribute approximately ZAR 72.5 million to the city’s GDP, besides creating about 150 employment opportunities.

“The international market was about 15-16 pc of total business and yes, it is starting to pick up now as travel has restarted and it helps that we are no longer on the red list of any country. So, we have seen a pickup in the international market. So, we are looking forward that as we get into the next quarter, we will be in a bigger and better shape. Just gradually climbing back to our previous numbers, but obviously it is not a rapid growth. As a destination we are optimistic in terms of the trends. The trade has grown from barely 2 pc to about 5 pc now and on the basis of our interactions with the international trade, we are anticipating an increase growth in coming back as a destination,” Winile Mntungwa, Deputy Head of Business Support, Tourism & Markets Unit of Durban Tourism tells India Outbound.