Showcasing international travel options
Thebe Exhibitions and Projects plans to inject innovation and creativity into the World Holiday & Travel Fair (WHTF), for which it acquired the rights to host earlier this year. Last held in the mid-1990s, the fair is scheduled to take place at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg, 17 - 19 April 2009.
Glynis Anderson, Thebe GM, tourism portfolio, commented: “We are delighted to host this very exciting travel fair aimed at showcasing global travel options for South African travellers. This fair will provide an outstanding platform for tourism offices and representatives, product owners and travel and tour operators to showcase their offerings to a willing travel public.”
According to Anderson, the primary aim of the fair will be to fill a clear gap in the market: to showcase international travel options. There is a growing travel culture among South Africans - according to the latest (2007) South African outbound statistics, some 1.7 million South Africans travelled abroad by air, with the UK, USA, Australia, Mauritius and Germany ranking as some of the top destinations.
But, continues Anderson, “there are now a proliferation of international destinations that offer affordable alternatives for South African travelers; from Africa to Europe, the Middle and Near East to South America. We aim to utilise this fair to provide a platform to showcase these to a willing travel public wishing to explore the globe.”
“Worldwide, tourism continues to be a key economic driver, especially for emerging economies that offer outstanding travel alternatives,” continues Anderson. “According to the latest UN World Tourism Organisation information, global travel during the first four months of 2008 grew at around 5% (www.unwto.org), one percentage point above the current global long-term trend. South African outbound travel growth is generally somewhat higher than this; thus providing excellent market growth opportunities. The World Holiday & Travel Fair will therefore provide excellent market access to the industry.”
International Banking from Absa will partner with Thebe to host the World Holiday & Travel Fair in 2009. National sales manager Karl Sieber said: “As a specialist division within South Africa's largest retail bank, Absa, we not only provide our clients with products and services, but also with specialist advice regarding money matters while travelling abroad. We also have international partners who assist with service delivery to our clients while they are abroad. We believe this to be the right event at which to position ourselves, provide a service and bring this message across to our client base.”
According to Anderson, the World Holiday & Travel Fair aims to attract more than 200 exhibitors, with more than 80% representative of international travel options. While essentially a consumer exhibition, the first day of the fair will be specifically for trade, providing the opportunity for networking with exhibitors and attending value-added workshops.
