SADC univisa by 2008

It is the 26th year that Indaba, South African Tourism`s annual destination exhibition for international trade, will take place.

Growth over the years has been phenomenal. While 2005 was a record year for Indaba in terms of attendance, all key figures for 2006 were already considerably up four months before Indaba opened its doors: there were nearly 45% more buyers registered to attend, 56% more international delegates, 25% more journalists, and nearly 30% more exhibitors.

Indaba is a key component of South Africa’s drive to market itself as a destination, especially in light of our ambitious goal to work towards 10 million visitors a year by 2010 – the year that the Fifa Soccer World Cup comes to South Africa.

2010 is not an end in itself, however from a tourism point of view, it is a milestone and a very important opportunity to consolidate our position as one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

Our vision, though, is for more than just South Africa. Our vision includes our region and Africa as a whole – as evidenced by the recent launch of the South Africa Meets Kenya experience.

Through the establishment of transfrontier parks between South Africa and our neighbours, the uniqueness of a visit to our part of the world has been further enhanced. South Africa already boasts more than 20 national parks, combined with all the amenities and attractions of world-class cities, South Africa and southern Africa is offering tourists a destination unequalled in terms of variety.

We also foresee a considerable liberalisation of travel routes between countries on the African continent in the near future. With, amongst others, World Cup 2010 and the transfrontier parks in mind, a single “univisa” for the member states of the Southern Africa Development Community should be in place by 2008.

The final countdown to 2010 has started. We are welcoming not only our friends in the tourism industry to our shores; we are also inviting them to become part of the realisation of our vision.