Maropeng at the Tourism Indaba

May 10, 2010

At its third Tourism Indaba stand at this year’s event, Maropeng showcased its tourism offering under the Southern Spoor umbrella.

Maropeng’s managing director, Tony Rubin, and marketing manager, Erica Saunders, were making the most of fantastic networking opportunities provided by the Indaba forum, which has officially secured a five-year contract to host the event at Durban’s International Convention Centre.

“There aren’t as many international visitors as we’ve seen previously and the vibe is somehow not quite the same,” said Tony, commenting on his overall impression of this year’s Indaba.

Erica said she was disappointed by the lack of public workshops this year, particularly those covering topics such as e-tourism and reservations systems.

Personal highlights for the Maropeng exhibitors included a tour of the Moses Mabhida Stadium and the Welcome Awards ceremony, which celebrated tourism service excellence.

Tony and Erica were particularly interested in the final meeting with tour operators who were re-examining their 2011 rates in light of a stronger rand and improved opportunities for the European tourist market.

They were also interviewed by the media during Indaba. German radio station Deutsche Welle was interested in tourism opportunities for German visitors to South Africa, while business television station, CNBC Africa, was interested in whether the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ promised any spinoffs for the rest of Africa.

There was special interest in the Welcome Awards, with Maropeng tour guide, Reuben Tsime, in the running for the national tour guide award.

Unfortunately Reuben was placed second, but he has renewed vigour for the 2011 event and is determined to reach the top spot in his chosen career.

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