INDABA 2006

South African trade show breaks new grounds

Reema Sisodia - Durban

South Africa Tourism's showcase event Indaba 2006 that took place fromMay 6 to 9, 2006 in Durban proved to be bigger than before with about 11,133 attendees, a jump from 9,629 in 2004 and 10,701 in 2005.

Ever since tourism in South Africa overtook gold as the country's leading forex earner in 2004, the industry has been increasingly referred to as South Africa's new gold. No wonder then that 'gold' was the catchword throughout the four-day event.

Explaining the event's new theme 'Gold Standard Travel Trade Show' South African Tourism CEO Moeketsi Mosola said, "As of mid-2005, our direct foreign revenue from tourism had shown an increase of 20 per cent making the industry a greater contributor to the South African GDP than mining and even gold. Tourism arrivals have breached the key psychological barrier of seven million visitors with over 7.3 million international travellers visiting our country in 2005, according to StatsSA in April 2006." He revealed that tourism currently accounted for eight percent of the GDP with the potential to contribute 12 per cent by 2014.

The event was officially opened by South Africa's deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka who also announced winners of the board's Welcome Awards. They were in four categories - tour operators, accommodation, travel agents and tour guides. These awards were introduced at Indaba 2005 by minister of environmental affairs and tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk with the intention to encourage private players in the business to perform better.

The deputy president of South Africa Tourism acknowledged Indaba as an African event (though officially its a South African event). Other African countries have been, since few years, exhibiting their products through this event. But what stood out at Indaba 2006 was that a head of state openly acknowledging it to have a macro focus. Other countries of the African continent that were part of Indaba 2006 included Namibia, Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles and Madagascar.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Indaba 2006 Mlambo-Ngcuka said, "We need an efficient and reliable visa regime. In our case we are working towards a Southern African Development Community (SADC) uni-visa that will facilitate travel in all of the SADC countries." She added that South Africa is working on an airlift strategy that will help increase air slots in line with demand.

Discussing FIFA World Cup 2010 to be held in South Africa, the deputy president added, "The event is not a South African event; we have agreed with FIFA that it will be an African event. All of Africa is invited to showcase itself and to be part of the action. It is our collective interest for all of us to grow." Durban was declared as the venue for Indaba for the next three years in succession.