Africa’s Travel Indaba has partnered with We Are Africa (WAA) to grow tourism. The two trade shows aim to attract leading global buyers to Durban and Cape Town for two weeks in May next year.
The initial collaboration between the two trade shows started in 2014.
Africa’s Travel Indaba, SA Tourism’s flagship travel trade show, previously known as Indaba, will take place from May 8-10, 2018 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. The show will be preceded by a Business Opportunity Networking Day for exhibitors on May 7.
We Are Africa will take place at the Cape Town Stadium, in the Western Cape from May 14-17, 2018. SA Tourism will be a headline partner, offering local and international buyers the opportunity to attend both trade shows.
CEO of SA Tourism, Sisa Ntshona, said: “It’s incredibly exciting for Africa’s Travel Indaba, one of our continent’s oldest and most popular travel shows, to have joined hands with the young, passionate and dynamic We Are Africa show to benefit tourism as a whole.
“We believe it’s a match made in heaven, as our shows are united by a common desire to showcase Africa’s attractions to the world’s blue-chip buyers and thereby get more people travelling to and around our remarkable continent. This pairing of travel show brands will incentivise buyers to attend both shows and gain a 360-degree perspective of the immense breadth and scope of Africa’s travel offering within a concentrated two-week timeframe.”
Ntshona said he was confident the partnership would yield positive results in telling Africa’s tourism story: “We look forward to making the two trade shows a collective shopping Mecca for buyers looking for the best tourism offerings from Africa.”
GM for Strategic Events and Exhibitions for SA Tourism, Neil Nagooroo, said: “SA Tourism understood the need to close a loop on the luxury trade show products, where Indaba was losing traction. As we already have a business trade show platform as well as a leisure platform catering for various products, the need existed for us to focus on luxury products.
“Also, the National Conventions Bureau also supports various conferences, incentives and exhibitions. WAA is a niche market tourism trade show. As the NCB, we have supported them as a trade platform.”
Nagooroo mentioned that the core collaboration points were the proximity of the two shows in respect of timing, and there is also a sharing of buyers from WAA to Indaba, based on these specific buyers meeting their criteria to participate at the show. He continued: “There is also information sharing and the opportunity for SA Tourism to profile the destination at the WAA show as well as the marketing of Indaba through the WAA channels.”
Nagooroo also pointed out that SA Tourism did get the opportunity to conduct certain promotional activities at WAA, and that there were no changes to the partnership at this stage.
