‘There was some serious business done with the pent-up travel demand,” says Marco Schiess, the owner of Umlani, a rustic luxury safari camp in Timbavati, speaking about last week’s Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban, his 23rd attendance of the annual event. “A bit of both prospective and actual business. I heard more than one exhibitor say it was their best Indaba yet.”
Marking her 11th attendance at the indaba, but for the first time as regional director of sales and marketing for Minor Hotels – a new entrant to the South African market – Lindi Mthethwa echoes Schiess and Kotze-Nhlapo, noting that, “returning from two years of lockdown, buyers and exhibitors were very eager to do business and make the show a success”.
Though he says he recognises the seminal importance of the indaba, he described this year’s event as “lacklustre”, comparing it with the smaller World Travel Market Africa, the private sector-run industry exhibition held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in April. “It was infinitely better. There was a better atmosphere, a more vibrant buzz about it.”“Government’s refusal to embrace the private sector as a proper partner has impacted negatively on the industry.