The dates for the popular travel trade show, Travel Indaba, have been pushed up several days and will now take place from May 2 to 4 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.
The event was initially scheduled for May 6 to 9, but those dates were changed as a result of South Africa president Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement that the national elections will take place on May 8.
Sisa Ntshona, CEO of SA Tourism, set up a task team immediately following Ramaphosa's announcement to explore all viable options, deciding that it was best to move the Indaba forward by four days. "The national election is the cornerstone of our democracy and is a celebration of our freedom in South Africa," said Ntshona. "It's an important date and occasion for all South Africans, and we need to acknowledge and respect the date."
Chief executive of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, said he would like to reassure the industry that despite the new date, Indaba will still be a fantastic show to attend.
South African Tourism has reassured delegates who will no longer be able to attend that it will work with all trade partners to ensure that there is smooth transition. Nshona said on social media that he will be appealing to the travel industry to refrain from penalizing attendees for accommodation and flight changes.
Indaba is the African continent's biggest travel exhibition show. Last year, over 7 000 delegates attended from 80 countries.