This year’s Indaba was a reminder of just how important industry events and catch-ups are for our sector. Exhibitor and buyer attendance seems to have surpassed pre-pandemic times and we believe that it was a resounding success. We’re absolutely delighted to note that we achieved our main objective: to lead conservation tourism from the frontlines.
The Great Wilderness Migration to Durban in May
If Durban’s ICC was the watering hole, then the Wilderness stand was the wellspring for being seen, photographed and photobombed. The 47-strong Wilderness team spent three full days networking, reconnecting and negotiating.
Despite the heavy rains, Indaba welcomed delegates from across the globe and reaffirmed its important role as a meeting place for those who love travel.
As a returning buyer, Head of Product, Preshima Naidoo said, “In my opinion, this was the best Indaba I’ve ever attended”.
The Numbers Speak for Themselves!
Africa’s Travel Indaba is one of the main events hosted by South African Tourism. Opened by the newly appointed Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille, this year’s event hosted a staggering 8,629 delegates, 1,023 exhibitors, and over 1,000 international buyers – with more than 21,000 meetings held.
Craig Glatthaar, Head of Sales for Americas said, “We had amazing days with more meetings than you could shake a stick at. One of the highlights was seeing so many industry friends and partners gather for sundowners at the Wilderness stand. It was a great opportunity to honour the giants from Wilderness’ yesteryear, upon whose shoulders we stand”.
The Wilderness stand was a spectacle to behold. Our clean and crisp new logo was the object of great admiration, much like an African sunrise on an early morning game drive.
Adds Craig, “The new logo looked resplendent and we had the opportunity to showcase some awesome new gear from our partnership with Sealand! The regional teams were busy too – allocated to each region and talking to the specifics of Zim, Zam, Bots, Nam and Rwanda. It was exciting to fill in our trade partners on some of our new developments, like Mokete in Botswana’s Mababe Depression, as well as our new Serengeti project, Usawa”.
A Very Important Board Meeting
Craig had a great board meeting with James Currie of Great Plains (left) and Christian Harrison of Premier Tours.
