The TAFI convention in Durban has been postponed to February 2013. The event will act as a new channel for Indian outbound tourists to South Africa
The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) Convention in Durban is expected to push the number of Indian arrivals to South Africa. This is evident from the fact that TAFI’s earlier conventions have benefited the host countries in promoting their tourism products to India. Elaborating further, Mike Mabuyakhulu, MCE- Economic Development and Tourism, Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa said, “We are extremely pleased to be hosting the TAFI convention in our destination. India is a very important market for us. We are a fairly new destination for Indian tourists and together with TAFI, we plan on attracting a large footfall to our province.” Currently, India is ranked seventh in terms of source markets for SAT.
The convention has been postponed to February 2013 following a joint decision by South African Tourism (SAT), TAFI and SATSA (Southern Africa Tourism Association) Pradip Lulla, National General Secretary, TAFI, added, “We, along with SATSA and South Africa Tourism, believe that the time will give us an upper hand and will help us market and create further awareness of both the destination and our convention. We are very excited and look forward to having one of the most memorable conventions in South Africa. We hope to leverage tourist arrivals to the destination post the convention.”
“Since 2005, SAT has been promoting the destination very successfully in India. The TAFI convention, which attracts an average of 1,000 delegates excluding accompanying parties, will help us promote new destinations such as KwaZulu-Natal, and showcase the true essence and warmth of South Africa,” said Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, SAT in India.
Echoing Slabber’s sentiments, Michael Tatalias, CEO, SATSA stated, “The conference serves as a platform for professional development, as well as a super FAM trip for delegates to explore the tourism potential and attractions of the hosting region. SATSA is currently in the process of training over 1,000 Indian travel agents and tour operators to ensure they have the necessary skills and experience to sell South Africa.”
