Content Team 
As Africa’s premier travel trade event, Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025, approaches, South African Tourism has taken a bold step to ensure its success by forming an industry-led Advisory Committee. This initiative underscores a renewed commitment to partnership and collaboration, ensuring the event remains a world-class business platform that delivers tangible value for exhibitors and buyers.
The newly established Advisory Committee consists of key industry representatives from leading travel and hospitality organizations, including SATSA, Classic Portfolio, ATTA, Sun International, Marriott, and Tourvest. Meeting weekly, this panel will tackle exhibitor engagement, logistics, program improvements, and overall event quality.
The move to engage private-sector experts has been widely praised. David Frost (SATSA) hailed it as a “visionary step”, emphasizing the importance of cohesive and constructive industry input in shaping Africa’s Travel Indaba into a truly global event.
Similarly, Dorcas Dlamini (Marriott) highlighted the event’s broader impact, noting that tourism growth leads to job creation and opportunities for local entrepreneurs. This perspective aligns with South African Tourism’s mission to position Africa as a continent “alive with great possibilities.”
With over 11 African countries represented, Suzanne Bayly (Classic Portfolio) expressed confidence in another productive year, while Martin Botha (Tourvest) reiterated the event’s role in showcasing South Africa’s cultural and wildlife diversity to the world.
With its new strategic advisory approach, Africa’s Travel Indaba is poised to set new benchmarks in the global tourism industry. The inclusion of private-sector expertise is expected to enhance efficiency, exhibitor and buyer engagement, and overall event quality.
This collaborative effort could lead to stronger business connections, increased investment in Africa’s tourism sector, and a more streamlined experience for both exhibitors and attendees. By addressing logistical challenges and fostering innovation, the Advisory Committee’s work may help position Africa’s Travel Indaba as an even more influential platform, attracting a wider global audience and solidifying its reputation as a premier tourism trade show.
As the event unfolds from May 12–15, 2025, all eyes will be on Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre to see if this collaborative strategy delivers on its ambitious promises.
