Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille takes a rickshaw in Durban.
South Africa is preparing to host Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025, the largest trade show on the continent, in Durban from 12 to 15 May.
Demand from businesses and buyers wanting to attend the annual event has surged this year, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said on Wednesday at the indaba’s launch.
“As we go into Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025, we currently have participation from 26 African countries including South Africa. We have also seen consistent interest in the number of tourism products from across the continent,” she said.
More than 1 200 exhibitors had confirmed their attendance. “A total of 908 buyers have been vetted and approved, with 7 430 meetings already confirmed on the Indaba online diary platform.
“Interest is surging from major markets including the United States, China, the United Kingdom and India. In fact, a total of 55 countries are represented in our buyer profile,” De Lille said.
The indaba will feature discussions on how artificial intelligence (AI) can drive customer service improvements, streamline operations, enhance visitor experiences and optimise marketing strategies.
“This will help tourism businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, harness the power of AI to stay competitive in the global tourism market,” De Lille said.
“This year’s indaba will also highlight opportunities for cross-border tourism collaborations and regional destination marketing to increase the value of Africa’s tourism offering.”
De Lille said 1 000 jobs had been created for youth, students and entrepreneurs at the 2024 trade show.
“A total of 9 000 delegates walked the hall of indaba, 1 200 exhibitors shared their dreams, 24 000 business meetings turned ideas into action and R226 million in direct economic activity was generated right here in Durban, with another R333 million rippling across KwaZulu-Natal,” she said.
The department of tourism had funded 120 small, micro and medium enterprises to attend the event in 2024, and would do so again this year.
De Lille said sports, adventure tourism and medical tourism were major drawcards to the country.
“In 2024 adventure tourists made up 8.8% of tourists to South Africa, which is over 700 000 of the 8.2 million arrivals in 2023. Adventure tourists to South Africa stay five nights longer and spend almost three times more than the average tourist to South Africa,” she said.
“Adventure tourism speaks to the heartbeat of the new traveller — those seeking meaning, authenticity and magic. From the quiet beauty of the Karoo to the wild trails of the Drakensberg, we invite the world to lose themselves in Africa — and in doing so, find something deeper.”
She said by the end of November more than 200 G20-related meetings would be hosted in the country, which currently holds the presidency of the grouping.
“This cements the message: tourism is not a side act in our economic story — it is centre stage,” De Lille said, adding that the sector was “regaining momentum” after the ravages of Covid-19, contributing 8.2% to GDP in 2023 compared with 9.5% before the pandemic.
“Last year, nearly nine million international visitors arrived in South Africa – 76% from fellow African nations. The tourism sector already supports 1.68 million jobs, set to grow to over 2.2 million by the end of the decade,” she noted.