Minister of Tourism – Patricia Delire
Mayor Ethekwini – Cllr Cyril Xaba and all city council members
Board Chair of all board members of South Africa Tourism, Durban ICC and Entities
All HODs and CEOs exist
Media members
Ladies and gentlemen
Sani Bonani!
Today's media launch shows an official countdown to Africa's Travel Indava (ATI), the ultimate leisure tourism showcase for the continent owned by South African tourism.
As usual, ATI (previous to Business Opportunity Networking Day), running from May 13th to 15th, is the largest event in Africa and will be deployed at the world-renowned Albertultuli International Convention Centre (ICC) and the nearby exhibition centre in Durban.
Kwazulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority (KZNTFA) cherishes hosting Durban ATIs for nearly 40 years, along with partners Durban Tourism and Durban ICC.
As you know, this is one of three “must-see” tourism gatherings in the world, and fully supports ATI, captivating thousands of international representatives, including influential decision-making buyers, and helps to position Kwazulu-Natal as an important leisure tourism destination.
All roads lead to Durban
All roads will lead to Durban next month as hundreds of local and international representatives, including exhibitors, buyers, staff and media, will boost millions of areas into the area towards ATI.
And this year's ATI will be even bigger than last year's showcase. 805 hosted buyer applications (an increase of 14.4%) represent the 55 countries SAT received in the first two weeks of April alone. To date, 873 buyers have already been examined and approved, many have already taken part in meetings with exhibitors.
As always, hotels, B&BS, restaurants, taxis, shuttles, tour guide services and shops will enjoy the benefits of hosting an ATI in Durban.
Interest is said to be surged from major markets from buyers in the US, China, the UK and India. SAT reports that exhibitors are also more interested than ever. 163 exhibitors from 24 African countries have already been confirmed, with 95% of the already reserved display floor space reported.
Compared to last year, an additional 400 square meters of exhibition space is available.
Relationship updates
As future businesses are traded during the exhibition, old relationships will be updated and new relationships will be forged, boosting the economy of South Africa's businesses and tourism regions, as well as the economy that displays African countries across the continent.
The benefits of ATI are also cascaded to KZNS Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMMES), which are given the opportunity to exhibit at ATI.
They represent a great opportunity for them as they interact with quality international buyers and can sell tourism products to the global market.
KZNTFA will implement the regular ambassador program. This year we have over 30 tourist students and will help guide representatives where they need them during the show.
We look forward to hosting our popular KZN breakfast this year as well. It was a must-see event for major media and trade, and has been ATI's “unofficial opening” for many years. There, the state is presented and the audience talks about all the amazing things we've been doing this year.
This year's ATI offers guests a special opportunity to have a visually immersive experience. There, curated space tells the story of the continent's infinite possibilities.
This visually captivating product captivates digital content and provides the perfect background for the film and television sector.
Durban – Natural Homes in KZN, ATI
The current contract to host ATI has expired this year and we hope that Durban and KZN will win the bid once again, as they believe Durban and KZN should be recognized as ATI's permanent home when the next contract is announced.
Not only will Durban and KZN be rolling out red carpets for local media again this year, but KZNTFA and South African tourism will also have the opportunity to sample the magic of different parts of the state beyond Durban before and after ATI.
You, the media, the one we are grateful for.
You also need to be grateful for everything you do for KZN and for tourism in the country.
thank you
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