I-Africa’s Travel Indaba ingenise uR547 million eThekwini
YINTATHELI YOMBELE
I-AFRICA’s Travel Indaba 2025 (i-ATI) ibenomphumela omuhle emnothweni waseThekwini ingenisa cishe uR574 million, kanti abantu basebenzise ngaphezu kukaR232m.
Ngaphezu kwaloko, le ngqungquthela yemibukiso yezokuvakasha, esanda kubase-Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natali, idale amathuba omsebenzi angaphezu kuka-2 000, ikakhulu entsheni nasemiphakathi yendawo kanti imali engena emizini yabantu elindelekile ingaphezu kwangoR140m.
Izibalo zitshengisa ukuthi i-ATI, ebinendikimba ethi “i-Unlimited Africa”, kutheleke abantu abangaphezu kuka-9 990, okunyuke ngo-7.7% uma kuqhathaniswa nabantu abawu-9 280 ababekhona ngonyaka odlule kanti kubenemihlangano esezingeni eliphakeme engaphezu kwewu-24 500.
Engqungqutheleni bekukhona abakhangisi abawu-1 348 nabathengi abawu-1 037, kanti izibali zabakhangisi nabathengi bakwamanye amazwe zibephezulu kakhulu eminyakeni emine edlule. Amazwe awu-27 ase-Afrika abambe iqhaza, kubalwa kuwona iChad, iSt Helena neBurkina Faso.
Indaba 2025 ivulwe ngokusemthethweni yiphini likamengameli waseNingizimu Afrika uMnu uPaul Mashatile nongqongqoshe womNyango wezokuVakasha eNingizimu Afrika uNkk uPatricia de Lille.
Isikhulu sezokukhangisa eSouth African Tourism uNksz uThembisile Sehloho, isikhulu esiphezulu esibambile eKZN Tourism & Film Authority uMnu uSibusiso Gumbi, iphini lenhloko yeDurban Tourism uNks uWinile Mntungwa nesikhulu sezokukhangisa nezokuxhumana esibambile e-ICC uMnu uSandile Gumbi bebekhona kule ngqungquthela.
“Le mpumelelo ingenxa yokubambisana okukhulu nabo bonke abalingani. Isasasa nokuhweba kutshengisa ukukhula namandla amakhulu emkhakheni wezokuvakasha e-Afrika,” kusho uNks uSehloho.
UGumbi uthe uthakasile ngobudlelwano beSouth African Tourism, iKZN Tourism & Film Authority, iTheku ne-ICC. “Kuyangithokozisa ukuthi iKwaZulu-Natali iphinde yaba nenye i-Africa’s Travel Indaba eyimpumelelo enkulu enesibalo esikhulu sezithunywa, abathengi bakwamanye amazwe, izinkampani zezindiza ebezikhona kulo nyaka.
“SiyiTourism KwaZulu-Natal & Film Authority seseke amabhizinisi asafufusa ezokuvakasha awu-26 akhangise ngomsebenzi wawo etafuleni lethu athola ithuba lokuhlangana nabathengi abavela kuyo yonke i-Afrika.”
Wengeze ngokuthi inhlangano yakhe isayine izivumelwano zokusebenzisana ezibalulekile ne-eSwatini Tourism neMaloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area Joint Marketing Agreement.
Uthe loku kuhambisana nezinhlelo zabo zokwandisela isifundazwe imakethe e-Afrika yonkana.
UNks uMntungwa uthe: “Igalelo lezomnotho lizwakele nangaphandle kwedolobha (eThekwini) kwahlomula amabhizinisi asemalokishini nawasemakhaya abhaliswe ngokusemthethweni nangabhalisiwe, okubalwa amabhizinisi ezokuvakasha ezindaweni ebezihlala izivakashi ngaphambi komcimbi nangesikhathi sawo. Loku kuwubufakazi bokuthi imicimbi emikhulu yenzani emnothweni ngokuhlomulisa imiphakathi yendawo nokusabalalisa intuthuku kuzo zonke izifunda.”
UMakhanya uthe: “I-Africa’s Travel Indaba akungatshazwa ukuthi yiwona mcimbi wethu omkhulu. Siyi-ICC, sizibophezele ukuqinisekisa ukuthi lo mcimbi wezohwebo ukhangisa i-Afrika emhlabeni futhi ubamba iqhaza elikhulu emnothweni wendawo.”
Ezingeni lezwe, umNyango wezokuVakasha utshengise ukuzibophezela kwawo ukusimamisa umkhakha wezokuvakasha ngokufukamela amabhizinisi amancane, aphakathi nendawo awu-400 ngokuwanika ithuba kwi-ATI ukuthi afinyelela kubathengi abahlukene baphesheya nabesezweni. UNkk uDe Lille ugcizelele izinjongo zomnyango i-Tourism Growth Partnership Plan. Kuzona kubalwa ukwandisa imisebenzi kwezokuvakasha isuka ku-1.84m ngo-2024 kuyaku-2.5m, ukwandisa ukuthenga ngo-25%, ukukhulisa umthamo wezokuvakasha kwezomnotho kusuka ku-8.8% ngo-2024 kuya ku-10% nokwamukela izivakashi ezihamba ngebhanoyi ezengezwe ngesigidi minyaka yonke.