By Simangaliso Ntshangase, Thobile Zwane & Nomonde Zondi
Collaboration amongst African countries is key to encouraging young people to travel, according to some speakers at the Africa Travel Indaba. During the marketing discussion, they looked at the attitudes of young people towards travelling. It was one of several conversations that were held during the three days of the Indaba in Durban. South African Tourism Chief Marketing Officer Thembisile Sehloho told delegates that a lack of awareness about available programmes was one of the reasons why youngsters did not travel much. “Also, some people only deem travelling a solely a form of luxury. We need to market our tourist destinations to come up with collaborative ways such as an exchange, where a group of young people, say from Ghana, come to South Africa, in exchange for ours visiting and exploring their country,” she said.
The conference was opened by Tourism Minister Patricia De Lille, with the theme for this year being “Unlimited Africa.”. She said the theme was appropriate because it spoke to the unlimited potential of the continent, which boasted diverse landscapes, cultures, and experiences that offered limitless possibilities for growth and exploration. “Africa’s Travel Indaba emphasises the importance of networking, collaboration, and building bridges across borders. It is one of the powerful platforms that we must continue to use to drive and advance a positive and powerful African tourism story,” said De Lille. During the trade show, buyers had an opportunity to engage directly with exhibitors, explore new business opportunities, and foster connections for future business.
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There were 1261 exhibitors and 25 African countries were represented. Also, in attendance were 1000 buyers from 55 countries. Despite the youth making up the majority of the demographics on the continent, research conducted by Statistics South Africa reveals that six out of 10 young Africans have yet to explore the continent. Katchie Nzama is a solo traveler and has been to 35 African countries. Her adventure began after she felt stifled by the corporate world. She packed up to start a Cape-to-Cairo journey. Ten years later, she is still at it. “The travelling community is huge, and people are always excited to meet someone from South Africa. When I arrive in a country, I go to the South African embassy and get emergency contact details and let them know that I am travelling solo. I am a digital content creator and a travel writer,” said Nzama.
Podcaster, marketer and traveller Nompumelelo Vundla said not enough was being done to show people how to venture into travelling. “It is high time that we tell stories that prioritise the beauty of our continent and stop making it all about countries outside of Africa. Our continent needs to be tapped and explored more by us before everyone else.” Tech entrepreneur Muhle Ndwalane, of Asante Solutions, further emphasised the importance of collaborations amongst African countries, adding that travelling should not be only about having fun, but travelers should find ways to network and build relationships that would be beneficial to them in the long run.
“Let us do more research and analysis that will help us find out what it is that countries outside of Africa are doing to attract more visitors and capitalise on that. As young people travel to other countries, they need to get used to forming relationships to make it make more sense to travel again and more often,” he said. Meanwhile, De Lille highlighted that much had been done since last year’s Indaba, including the Cabinet approving the Tourism Sector Master Plan. The government also relaunched the R1.2 billion Tourism Equity Fund to support the growth of emerging tourism enterprises, she said.
This story was first published by: www.umbele.co.za
