INDABA is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and one of the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar. It showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa’s best tourism products, and attracts international visitors and media from across the world. Close to 14 000 international delegates and members of the media visited INDABA 2012, in Durban this last month.
For the second successive year the four-day INDABA was held at the Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (the Durban ICC) and again won the award – presented by the Association of World Travel Awards – for Africa’s best travel and tourism show.
The event highlights the finest of Southern Africa’s best tourism products and Maliba once again held its head up high. Again in the SADC Pavilion, and sharing a stand with Malealea, Semonkong, Trading Post and Lesotho Tourism (LTDC), we attracted a wide variety of visitors including South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk and the Lesotho Tourism Minister, ‘Mannete ‘Malethole Ramaili.
Tourism Ministers visit the Lesotho stand.
This was my second year with Maliba at the INDABA and I found it even more enjoyable than the first with relationships being cemented and familiar faces reappearing. The lingering impression was that there was an increased interest in Lesotho – and Maliba, among international operators who are starting to recognize the small country as a hidden gem in the vast continent of Africa.
The Lesotho stand, draped in Lesotho blankets and hats, was bright and beautifully decorated and this certainly took the fancy of passing delegates. And so did our finest Maluti beer which proved a popular attraction at the cocktail party on Sunday night. It was another highly successful event and one again left with that same feeling of pride and love for this piece of Africa.
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