New Durban will emerge before 2024 INDABA expo – Official
By Taiye Olayemi
Durban Tourism, the marketing authority for the city of Durban, South Africa, says some tourism infrastructural development are underway in the city ahead of the 2024 edition of Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) expo.
Winnile Mntungwa, Deputy Head, Durban Tourism, gave the assurance during a news conference at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Thursday.
Mntungwa assured tourists that the development would totally transform Durban, the host city for the just concluded three-day ATI expo.
According to her, the development is neccesary as Durban remains the host for the 2024 and 2025 editions of the expo.
“A film city similar to what is obtainable in Hollywood will be constructed as well as a resuscitation of the waterfront in the city.
“There will be a different Durban in 2024, when you come for Indaba. You all know that we take pride in ourselves as the city under construction.
“We hope to complete the film city which will be of disney standard; cruising activity will be upgraded and we have a lot of other infrastructural developments ongoing as well,” she said.
Mntungwa noted that the organisation had exceeded its success projections for the expo so far, as 6,000 delegates were targeted but was able to attract 8,629 delegates.
“I am happy, we are making a positive and upward impact, we look forward to a big one in 2024 and I believe we Africans will continue to tell our stories more,” she said.
Also, Zinnie Nzama, Acting Chief Convention Bureau Officer, South Africa Tourism, noted that 21,000 meetings were held during the expo as against 18,000 meetings held in 2022.
She said this was quite encouraging as she appealed to Africans to engage themselves further and make 2024 edition of the expo a bigger one.
Mr John Arittho, Chief Operations Officer, Durban International Convention Centre (ICC), promised to provide a more comfortable venue for the expo in 2024.
Arittho also assured tourists that the hotel facilities around the ICC would be made available for them to use in 2024.
He disclosed that for each day of the just concluded expo, 6,000 meals were served.
“The most interesting aspect of the expo was having students from different vocational academy in Durban participate in the expo.
“This is a way of catching them young to enable them become self reliant and responsible,” he said.
Edited by Folasade Adeniran
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