Africa’s Travel Indaba show focuses on pan-continental tourism

Saturday, May 19, 2018

There was greater participation at Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban than last year as the continent strives to cash in on the growing interest among the BRICS countries to see the unspoiled and largely untapped African scenery, in particular the “hidden gems” that are off the beaten track.

 
Of the total 1,100 exhibitors, 200 were first-time exhibitors with Tourism South Africa and the national tourism department aiming to promote the small business sector, so that the tourism industry becomes more inclusive and its benefits are spread more evenly throughout the continent.

 
The tourism expo has been rebranded from the Tourism Indaba to a show that is a more African affair.

 
In his opening address, Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom highlighted continental tourism data rather than only South African data. There were exhibitors from 23 African countries. There was a total of 1,747 registered buyers, an increase of 14 per cent from last year.

 
“A record 62 million people visited Africa in 2017, representing nothing less than 8 per cent year-on-year growth. And to varying degrees, all countries on the continent have the potential for exponential growth, given that arrivals to our vast continent represent only five percent of global tourists,” Hanekom said.

 
He noted that travel and tourism is the fastest growing sector in the world, outperforming other sectors of the global economy.

 
The World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) annual Economic Impact Research showed that Travel and Tourism was responsible for the creation of seven million new jobs worldwide.

 
“Travel & Tourism creates jobs, drives economic growth and helps build better societies. Our research shows that our sector was responsible for the creation of one in five of all jobs globally. In the last few years, Governments around the world are realizing the extraordinary benefits of tourism and I congratulate them for taking steps to maximize the potential of our sector,” Gloria Guevara, WTTC President and CEO said.

 
In 2017, Travel & Tourism’s direct, indirect and induced impact accounted for 10.4 per cent or $8.3 trillion of global GDP and 313 million jobs or one in ten jobs globally.

 
The long-term outlook to 2028 remains unchanged, with average growth of 3.8 per cent per year over the next decade as the sector is expected to contribute around 25 per cent of global net job creation over the next decade.

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