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The Travel Agents Federation of India (Tafi) said its choice of Durban to host its 2013 international convention was for more reasons than one, including its huge Indian diaspora and links with Mahatma Gandhi.
The Indian subcontinent is one of the fastest growing long-haul tourism source markets for South Africa, and KwaZulu-Natal aims to take advantage of this growth by strategically hosting the Travel Agents Federation of India’s (Tafi) international convention later this month.
More than 1 000 of India’s leading travel industry bosses and professionals are expected in Durban for the conference, which takes place in South Africa for the first time. The event also precedes the high-profile Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit in Durban in March. Both events take place at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre with the four-day Tafi annual conference set for February 24-27.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s offices in January, KZN Economic Development and Tourism MEC Michael Mabuyakhulu, with the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) and Tourism KZN, highlighted the strategic nature and opportunities presented by hosting both events. “The hosting of the Tafi convention comes at an important time, just ahead of South Africa hosting the influential Brics Summit in Durban, which will see the president or prime ministers of all five Brics nations attending,” Mabuyakhulu said.
He said Tafi was responsible for more than 75 percent of the outbound tourism business from India, one of South Africa’s key growing source markets for international tourists. The country was building stronger trade and economic ties with India through Brics and the India Brazil South Africa (Ibsa) bloc.
According to Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, India is ranked seventh in terms of South Africa’s overseas top 20 source markets. The number of Indian tourists travelling from India to South Africa has steadily increased by more than 122 percent between 2005 and 2010. Van Schalkwyk is expected to address the conference. Satsa CEO Michael Tatalias said the organisation was the official host for the Tafi 2013 international convention and was excited to help bring it to Durban.
He paid tribute to Satsa KZN member and the boss of Pietermaritzburg-based African Link Tours Travel, Bunny Bhoola, for playing a leading role in getting the event to be hosted in Durban.
“I would like to thank Bunny Bhoola for all the dedication and hard work she put in over a considerable period of time into enticing our Indian guests to visit the city of Durban, the province of KwaZulu-Natal, and the country of South Africa. She has been the leading spirit behind this convention coming to pass, and we all owe her a great deal,” Tatalias said.
He said hosting the event would also not be possible without the incredible support of the province, Tourism KZN and the Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau.
“This convention has huge importance to Durban, KZN and South Africa? Worldwide experience has shown that when travel professionals have personal experience of a destination they sell it with much more knowledge and enthusiasm.
“By bringing the business owners, managers and decision makers of Tafi from India to Durban we are giving them first-hand experience of a world-class destination on which to build future business,” Tatalias said.
“Tafi is India’s largest travel association, established more than 25 years ago,” its president Zakkir Ahmed said. He said Tafi’s choice of Durban to host the event was for more reasons than one, including its huge Indian diaspora and links with Mahatma Gandhi.
“Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, spent a good bit of his early years in KZN, which saw his transformation from a barrister to an internationally renowned freedom fighter, one who inspired Nelson Mandela.
“Over the years, the two countries have shared very close and healthy political, economic and historical ties. These relations have now been further strengthened by the burgeoning tourism exchanges. South Africa and KZN in particular have seen double-digit growth from the Indian outbound market,” Ahmed said.
Satsa president Craig Drysdale said: “People of Indian descent living in South Africa have made, and continue to make, a huge contribution to the creation of the new South Africa. Through membership of Brics, our two countries share many economic goals and aspirations, as we emerge as new, powerful players on the word stage.”
He said: “For several years, Satsa has had the pleasure of working with Tafi, and finding out about what Indian visitors expect and want from South Africa. Our two countries have many things in common – from amazing wildlife and scenery to booming cities and great shopping? Nowhere is the friendship between South Africa and India demonstrated more clearly than in KwaZulu-Natal.”
