On location at Indaba 2016 in South Africa

“We are all united in our aspiration to build and brand Africa as a continent of unparalleled opportunity,” said South Africa’s tourism minister Derek Hanekom, speaking to hundreds of journalists and delegates at the 2016 Indaba African tourism convention in the beach town of Durban, South Africa on May 7.

“Welcome to your South Africa - a country on a long journey, on ‘the long walk to freedom,’ to quote our beloved former President Nelson Mandela,” Hanekom said.  

Indaba 2016, which takes place from May 7-9, showcases travel operators from South Africa and the rest of the continent. PAX is currently on location at Indaba to learn more about Africa’s latest tourism trends.

 “We have joined hands to make tourism a sector of hope and progress for our people. We must now focus on concrete actions to achieve our aspirations,” Hanekom said.  

Hanekom spoke glowingly about the event (which drew more than 1,000 exhibitors) and the continent’s growing success in the tourist sector.

“Indaba is the premier African travel and tourism show, with exhibits from 18 countries on the continent this year…The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates that international tourist arrivals will grow by four per cent this year. Tourist arrivals in Africa are expected to reach 130 million by 2030. This is more than double the 50 million arrivals we are currently receiving.”

Once the applause died down, the opening speeches were immediately followed by a pointed panel discussion comprised of Hanekom, along with deputy minister of tourism Tokozile Xasa, tourism business council CEO Mmatsatsi Ramawela and advisory head at Grant Thornton, Gillian Saunders.

The panel was moderated by the sharp-tongued Richard Quest, a veteran journalist for CNN, who managed to keep the audience laughing even as he went on the attack.

As Quest put it, a lot of this year’s increased tourism numbers “is from shooting yourselves in the foot last year.”

He was referring to a slew of things, including the South African government’s decision to no longer bid for major international events for certain sports, including rugby and cricket, after these bodies failed to meet equality of opportunity targets for black players (these kinds of events are a big draw for tourists).

Tourism also dropped in South Africa during the Ebola virus outbreak, even though the country had zero infections. Government-owned South African Airlines continues to lose money despite nine turn-around plans in 15 years, and mass resignations. And there’s South Africa’s reputation for being an unsafe destination for tourists and the controversy over game hunting.

While panelists at times danced around with their answers, with a bit of push and tug from the cheeky Quest, they were also refreshingly candid. A better marketing campaign could have helped with the Ebola crises (there are European nations that were far closer to the outbreak than South Africa) and with regards to overall safety, as Saunders put it, “Fact, we have a crime rate, but the perception is worse. We don’t have a higher crime rate than Thailand or Greece.”

And since 50 per cent of tourists are returning tourists, they are clearly having a positive experience.

Hanekom spoke out in favour of an “open skies policy” across the continent, to make travel cheaper and more appealing for tourists interested in seeing Africa as a whole. Currently, those routes are tightly controlled by individual countries, keeping flights down and fares up.

It was an honest and candid direction to take a panel discussion, which are typically controlled and free of controversy. Hours later, in a semi-private sit down with about a dozen journalists, PAX asked the minister why he allowed himself to take on tough questions in such a public forum.

“I’m a bit mad, and they all know it,” he said, and then adding a more serious note, “We engage. That’s how we learn. We can’t get away with spin. We have wonderful stuff [to promote] but there’s no point in ducking and dodging.”

In that uniquely South African spirit of openness, PAX also had the opportunity to discuss routes from North America to South Africa in more detail in a sit-down with South African Airways (SAA) head of North American sales Stroebel Bekker. 

Currently there are daily morning flights out of New York, and afternoon flights from Washington to Johannesburg.

Bekker said the former allows passengers to connect with the highest number of domestic flights once in Johannesburg (“You can be in the bush by mid-day or having lunch in Cape Town,” he said), and the latter accommodates those flying in from the West Coast.

There are no direct flights from Canada, Bekker noted, but SAA has allied with Air Canada as part of Star Alliance. “The Canadian market has always been an important market. Canadian travellers are adventure travellers,” Bekker said.

He admitted that Canadians do have the option of flying with British Airways through Heathrow, but argued that SAA is selling an experience.

“For many people, going to South Africa is once in a lifetime…It starts on the plane. The food, the wine (I recommend the merlot) are all part of that experience,” said Bekker.