SA Tourism will continue to refine the Indaba trade show, based on feedback from exhibitors, says SA Tourism Acting Sthembiso Dlamini.
Addressing the media on the last day of the show, Dlamini revealed very little about the plans for next year’s show. When asked about the date and venue of next year’s show, Dlamini said SA Tourism had found a suitable partner for the show and an announcement would be made soon.
[AdZone]
Durban Tourism CEO, Philip Sithole, and Durban ICC CEO Lindiwe Rakharebe, both expressed the hope that the show would return to Durban next year.
[AdZoneGiant]
According to Dlamini, while the number of buyers attending the show has declined, the number of meetings conducted at the show has increased. She added that SA Tourism has enhanced its buyer programme and the focus is on bringing quality buyers to the show that will sign business with exhibitors. She said this was reflected in feedback from exhibitors, who reported enhanced meetings.
Final attendance figures were not released at the media briefing, but ahead of the show, Dlamini revealed that over 791 exhibitors registered to attend and 1 111 buyers would attend the show, including over 500 international buyers, 300 of which were hosted by SA Tourism. This compares to 1 029 exhibitors in 2015 and 1 595 international buyers.
Sithole said the show had succeeded in connecting Africa to the world, while also showcasing the city of Durban. He added that Durban Tourism used the show to promote its township offering by including township tours in familiarisation trips before and after the show, and also hosting events in townships.
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal CEO Ndabo Khoza, said Indaba was a unique show in that it attracted buyers from all over the world, while many international trade fairs attracted only the local buyers in the host country.
Dlamini said SMMEs were a focus of this year’s show and SA Tourism, in partnership with the Tourism Enterprise Partnership and the Department of Tourism, brought 70 SMMEs to the show. Dlamini added that the presence of the SMMEs enhanced the content of the show and also broadened the number of products for attending buyers. “SMMEs attending Indaba for this first time this year signed business at the show,” she said.
