Africa’s Travel Indaba officially opened today with a call for the continent to work collaboratively to drive tourism growth, so as to accelerate the sector’s recovery.
On a balmy day at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, over 634 and 625 buyers took their place at the continent’s premier travel trade show, as it opened its doors after a three-year hiatus. Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu officially opened the trade floor today, effectively putting into motion 22,000 scheduled meetings between exhibitors and buyers.
“Africa’s Travel Indaba is a springboard for the continent to achieve even greater levels of recovery. We are here because we have a collective responsibility to reignite the African continent’s tourism growth and economy.”Sisulu called for greater collaboration among African countries to advance tourism on the continent, particularly when it comes to domestic and regional travel. “As we do business, we must remember that our continent is also our own market. All countries in Africa have potential for domestic tourism growth. Intra-continental tourism from Africa’s rapidly growing economies and growing middle class is an opportunity begging to be explored.
We need improved collaborative efforts between our countries to achieve this.”Sisulu said all role players in the industry must continue to drive growth in tourism numbers by bringing together a range of Africa’s best and most unique stories and products from across the continent, and connecting them with buyers from across the world.She added that the event is about reigniting the spark in old relationships and building new, meaningful connections.
“As a sector, we are here to cement our partnerships and collaborations. It can only be to our benefit that we are a sector committed to sharing ideas and knowledge, in a bid to ensure that we advance our Tourism Sector Recovery Plan.”
