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The success of INDABA is probably still being measured by exhibitors but in terms of growth the exhibition continues to surge ahead, with a record-breaking 11,500 participants expected before the end of the show. The amount of exhibitors increased by 10 per cent to 1653 while the number of registered visitors also grew by the same per cent, to 4527. Stretched over four days, the show attracts travel and tourism exhibitors from all over the country. Held at the International Convention Centre Durban, the exhibition sprawled from the ICC to the Durban Exhibition Centre and beyond, even including an outdoor area. The show was expected to inject more than R250 million in indirect spend to the local economy and province of KwaZulu-Natal. Topping that was the news that INDABA would stay in Durban for the next three years. The announcement was made at the INDABA opening ceremony when Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk told the packed ICC auditorium that KwaZulu-Natal would remain the ‘INDABA province’ until 2009.

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal chief executive officer Miller Matola said the awarding of INDABA to the province once again confirmed its capacity and that of Durban to host the prestigious travel and tourism event.
“We thank South African Tourism for putting its faith in KwaZulu-Natal. INDABA is an important demonstration of our capability to host world-class business tourism events. While INDABA is a tourism tradeshow, the economic benefit of tourism is felt throughout the province, and South Africa.”
In the most dazzling and spectacular opening ceremony to date the deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said that tourism is South Africa’s “new gold” with direct foreign spending from tourism growing to a point where it is now a greater contributor to the GDP than mining.
“The government is firm in its conviction that tourism is a cornerstone of growth, and forms one of the key sectors in delivering the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative – South Africa (ASGI-SA). Accelerating economic growth without accelerating the growth in tourism would be a folly, given the results that the sector has shown,” Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka said.
She said the number of tourists to South Africa had grown from one million in 1990 to seven million last year. However, Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka noted that even though the tourism industry has
out-performed all other sectors of South Africa’s economy, it is by no means saturated. She said while some of South Africa’s competitors create one job for every eight arrivals, South Africa creates one job for every 12 arrivals, “and that presents a very real challenge”.

She said the challenges for tourism growth include increasing the volume of tourists from both local and foreign markets, improving the geographic spread within the country beyond the three provinces that attract the most tourists – KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape – and increasing tourist spend in South Africa.

Meanwhile, convention and incentive venues were out in force at the exhibition, in spite of the Meetings Africa tradeshow being an annual fixture in February. Big MICE news at the tradeshow was the investment of R4.9 billion into the construction of the Tshwane International Convention Centre and precinct. Once complete the 8000 square metre multi-purpose convention centre will be able to host up to 2000 delegates, participating in congresses, exhibitions and special events simultaneously. There will also be some 20 breakout rooms catering for between 20 and 200 people each. In the precinct there are plans for two hotels with about 500 rooms, a five-star hotel with VIP and commercial suites supporting the conference and exhibition centre and linked directly to the centre, and the other a four-star hotel.