Durban prepares to host Travel Agents from India

With just over a month to go for the first Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) Convention on African soil (24 to 27 February 2013), Tourism KwaZulu-Natal in partnership with the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and African Link Tours & Travel are preparing to host delegates and the local travel trade at this prestigious event.

The convention has been crafted to ensure that key players in the Indian Travel / Tourism industry have the opportunity to experience and learn more about South Africa as a tourism destination, and equally importantly, to facilitate linkages between Indian and South African business.

With a 122% growth in Indian visitors to South Africa over the past five years, India has firmly established themselves as one of South Africa’s most dynamic and crucial tourism markets. About 67 039 Indian tourists arrived in South Africa between January and September last year – 29 % more than the same period in 2010. This, coupled with the surging Indian economy, will ensure that India plays an important role in the South African tourism scene for the years to come.

The TAFI convention presents a unique opportunity for South African businesses to directly interact with some of India’s top tourism ‘decision makers’ and strategically position themselves within this surging market landscape. The conference serves as a platform for professional development, tourism information and intelligence exchange.

The Exhibition

The TAFI Annual Convention brings you face-to face with Indian travel agents and tour operators.  The event will provide a unique and exceptional opportunity to:
Meet new business partners;

• Face to face contact with Indian Travel Agents providing a high impact, interactive platform – designed to maximise the business experience for participants;
• An opportunity for tour operators to sell products;
• A platform for world-class service providers;
• The best place to capture the Indian market
• Develop key relationships by joining the delegates on their pre and post tours at a additional cost.
• Profile your brand

TAFI & Attendee Profile

The TAFI Convention brings together travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, airlines, cruise companies and other travel industry related companies on a common platform across the sub-continent. Annually 12.07 million tourists leave the Indian sub-continent with outbound tourism growing at 9.0% per annum.

TAFI currently handles 70% of outbound ticket sales.  Rising incomes, changing attitudes and a desire to travel abroad have all contributed to a desire among Indians for outbound travel.

How you can participate

For South African businesses, the event provides an ideal opportunity to promote your brand in a direct, targeted and focussed manner to the Indian Market.
The opportunities that exist are:

• Participate as an exhibitor at the Conference;
• Ensure that your brand is principally positioned for delegates to note your company’s prominence by considering one of our conference sponsorship packages (a range of sponsorship packages exist).

Both these opportunities are on a first come first serve basis as limited space is available. The exhibition at the ICC Durban will be located directly next to the main conference plenary. All lunch and tea will be served within the exhibition area to ensure that conference delegates have the maximum opportunity to interact with the exhibition.