The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) is in full swing for this year’s Indaba, the largest travel and tourism marketing event on the African calendar taking place from 8 – 10 May 2018 at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.
This annual show is attended by over 7 000 people and takes place in Durban each year. It is Africa’s premier business platform for tourism exhibitors from the continent, and top-rated tourism buyers from all over the world looking to do business.
“We are excited to be part of this largest travel and tourism show again to represent Mpumalanga Province. Our mandate is primarily to promote the province as a preferred tourism destination and this year we will showcase various products including tour operators, accommodation, as well as generic attributes and various hidden gems that set Mpumalanga apart from other destinations” said Mr Xolani Mthethwa, Head of Tourism at MTPA.
The MPUMALANGA VILLAGE situated at the Durban Exhibition Centre includes a variety of product owners from the three regions in the province, the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation (Museum Services), Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust, 10 established products and 14 emerging tourism products. The province also has 10 products under the HIDDEN GEMS category exhibiting at the International Convention Centre (ICC). In total Mpumalanga has 34 tourism products.
“Out of the 14 emerging tourism products, 5 new products are attending Indaba for the first time. These products are afforded an opportunity to promote their businesses and the various offerings available for tourists in their regions”, explained Mthethwa.
“As part of tourism development, we continue to provide our SMMEs with the necessary support during Indaba which affords them an opportunity to promote their businesses and further sell the province to the relevant market. The trainings that we offer prior to Indaba enable the SMMEs to be better equipped with the necessary knowledge on how to derive optimum benefit from this trade show and how they can add value to their businesses. This year’s exhibitors are a full representation of product offerings in the province”, said Mthethwa.
As part of showcasing some of the tourism offerings and projecting this year’s theme, “Mpumalanga beyond wildlife”, a number of events were hosted during Indaba and amongst them is the launch of the Mpumalanga’s Refreshed Website on Wednesday, 09 May 2018 and the Triland Tour Operators Networking Function on Thursday, 10 May 2018.
The redesigned website offers quick and easy access to essential information about various tourism offerings in the province. It has a clean and fresh design, improved functionality and rich content about the province especially uniquely Mpumalanga tourism attractions.
The Triland Tour Operators Networking Function is aimed at tour operators from Mozambique, Kingdom of Eswatini and Mpumalanga as part of enhancing the tourism route between the three countries. This platform will afford tour operators an opportunity to interact and share packages on offer for this route.
“We are delighted to be part of the delegation representing Mpumalanga at this most prestigious travel trade show. And most of all to be part of the team celebrating Nelson Mandela’s centenary by showcasing and sharing some of his tourism experiences when he visited the province. Indaba continues to be an essential platform for us to promote and position destination Mpumalanga” concluded Mthethwa.
For more information on Indaba, please visit www.indaba-southafrica.co.za
