South African Tourism has announced that it’s premier travel trade show, Africa’s Travel Indaba has been postponed.
This comes as government implements stricter measures to try and tackle the outbreak of the Coronavirus on South African shores.
The event, which was scheduled for May 2020 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban, was postponed to a date yet to be confirmed.
As the country prepares for a national lockdown, which is set to start from midnight on 26 March and last until midnight on 16 April, the tourism industry has had to re-evaluate and assess a number of business events that were scheduled to take place in the coming months.
Discussions Still Ongoing
South African Tourism says it will continue discussions with tourism stakeholders, being mindful of the situation in respect of international travel due to the coronavirus, to agree on a date in the future when the Tourism Indaba can be reconvened.
Commenting on the Situation South African Tourism’s CEO Sisa Ntshona says, “Our team is working hard to find suitable new dates in a dynamic environment and remain committed to ensuring the success of INDABA as the largest tourism trade show on the African calendar. INDABA remains one of the most powerful platforms to tell the African tourism story while profiling, amongst others, our cultural, heritage and artistic assets.”
Leveraging The Power of Digital Platforms
Ntshona says they are hoping to use this experience as an opportunity to look at leveraging the power of digital platforms.
“We are also excited about the opportunities to leverage digital platforms and technology to do trade shows differently. The outbreak of the coronavirus can be a catalyst to develop the sector in new ways and we must not waste this opportunity to innovate. New dates and exciting developments will be communicated in due course,” concludes Ntshona.
