Africa`s Travel Indaba continues to grow in a positive way

South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged the opening of African trade routes without any obstacles during the official opening of the Africa Travel Indaba at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban on Tuesday.

Mashatile said that since the month of June is Africa Month in South Africa, this should be the impetus to strengthen trade routes so that the continent’s economy can develop.

He said that the African continent has many opportunities to become an economic powerhouse through the promotion of its own and the development of its own economy.

He added that other continents have begun to show interest in drawing closer to Africa, so now is the time to promote their own with the aim of benefiting it.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli encouraged tourism to promote culture, develop the economy, create jobs and promote unity during his speech at the event.

Ntuli said this year's conference brings together around 1300 exhibitors from 27 countries on the African continent, as this year there are countries that are making their debut as part of the conference, which has been held in Durban for over 30 years.  These countries include Chad, St Helena and Burkina Faso.

The Prime Minister said that the presence of these countries at the conference is a sign of its continued growth.

He stated that the government he leads continues to cooperate with all tourism sectors and is proud of the King Shaka International Airport which continues to be the gateway to the province for those coming from different countries.

He stated that discussions are ongoing to increase the number of flights arriving at this airport as among those currently operating the route from Paris in France, there will also be one operating the route from London in the United Kingdom.

It will be recalled that during the spread of the Covid 19 pandemic, some routes were closed and plans have begun to revive some of these routes. 

In December last year, the port launched a route from Gaborone to Botswana, which has since become operational. Ntuli said the provincial message encourages tourism to be inclusive, environmentally and socially responsible, respectful of culture, create jobs and be creative.

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said she was encouraged that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the sector was continuing to grow and showed signs of hope that the situation would officially return to pre-pandemic levels.

She said that in the first quarter of this year, they were able to welcome 2.6 million tourists, a figure that represented a 57% increase compared to the same period last year.

She said she was hopeful that the summit would be a success and would reap positive results for the country’s economy.

She said the summit came at an opportune time as South Africa looks forward to hosting the G20 Summit, the first to be held on the African continent.

He said that as South Africa, they are hopeful that South Africa will continue to benefit from this meeting.