Kruger Park News Archive
On the second last day of Indaba 2010, South African Tourism and exhibition organisers were certain that attendance this year would at least equal last year's numbers, if not surpass them.
On Monday, it was estimated that close to 13 900 people had already attended the four-day Indaba that was hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban.
"This has been an outstanding Indaba for many of us," chief executive officer of SA Tourism Thandiwe January-McLean. "It has been the Indaba at which we have collectively cast our minds to the future of our industry, and of our destination.
The pace of business at Indaba this year, and the quality of delegates, both exhibiting and buying, indicate that we have every reason to be optimistic about South Africa as a destination after the 2010 World Cup."
This year's Indaba showed that buyers and visitors from the rest of the African continent had recorded good growth in delegate numbers.
There was a 100 percent increase in buyers from Angola, an 18 percent increase in buyers from Mozambique and a 23 percent increase in buyers from Tanzania. Between them, these markets had sent 83 buyers to Indaba 2010.
Almost 10 percent more exhibiting companies had attended the Indaba this year. This was a clear indication of bullishness and buoyancy in the industry, according to January-McLean.
