Key tourism and hospitality industry role-players from the KwaZulu-Natal government, Tourism KZN, Durban Tourism to the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa, have all said in unison that the tourism indaba 2015 would be the ideal symposium to project the city of Durban positively to the outside world, and also do away with all the negative perceptions and bad publicity that engulfed the eThekwini municipality recently.
The four-day trade and travel showpiece taking place at the Durban International Convention Centre comes on the backdrop of the xenophobia attacks against foreign nationals that had started as a labour dispute at one Isiphingo retailer on the Durban South Basin, quickly spread across the wider Durban surrounding townships, and later reported to have mushroomed as far as in Pietermaritzburg, the capital city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Despite the swift response by the provincial government and eThekwini municipality leadership to provide safety tents to shelter the many displaced foreign national communities, but the South African Police Services (SAPS) figure of casualities (3 South Africans and 4 foreign nationals) killed in the provinces of KZN and Gauteng has cast asperations on visitor's safety whilst touring the coastal city.
The domino effect of the xenophobia attacks had resulted to certain countries, such as Mozambique, resolving to boycot and cancel their participation to the Indaba 2015 Trade Show.
A Mozambiquan citizen, Emmanuel Josias Sithole, who was attacked, robbed and killed was beamed worldwide through the electronic media as three thugs pounced on him in broad daylight somewhere within the Alexandra Township, Gauteng.
Despite the bad image that was created by the so-called Afrophobia, as some media prefer to call it, Durban Tourism head, Phillip Sithole, sounded positive about the safety and the increased percentage of visitors, exhibitors and the estimated revenue that would accrue to the Durban hospitality industry coffers.
"We expect as many as over 9 000 visitors in Durban attending the Tourism Indaba. The 2015 tradeshow is the ideal, perfect opportunity for the city to restore our image to the international community.
The trade show would create no less than 500 job opportunities to our residents, and the city of Durban stands to gain an estimated R 144 million over the weekend.
Security personnel has been beefed up by the municipality's Metro Police and they are working closely with the SAPS counterparts to eliminate any threat because we dismiss and condone the recent senseless attacks of our fellow foreign brothers and sisters," said Sithole.
Tourism KZN CEO, Ndabo Khoza, pronounced that Durban and the wider Kingdom of the Zulu
(as the provincial landscape was rebranded by the tourist authority agency) would continue to defy all the bad things reported recently and become the gateway of leisure for the international and continent's visitor to our shores as residents of this province were hospitable and are caregivers, too.
Addressing the tourist industry CEO's Breakfast on Saturday, KZN MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Michael Mabuyakhulu, sounded upbeat about the Tourism Indaba but dismissed the recent spate of attacks to the foreign nationals.
However, he made an observation that the country's, provincial and municipal leadership are working closely with the business, interfaith and civil society formations, had all pledged to do their optimum best to eradicate any manifestations of discrimination against any other citizen living within the borders of South Africa, and Durban, in particular.
Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa publicity chief, Charles Preece, concured with the local tourist authority leadership by saying that the 2015 Tourist Indaba could not have at a much more opportune time.
"Despite some of our member countries having cancelled participation at this year's trade and travel show, we strongly believe Indaba 2015 will be a giant step to resore our partnership in Durban.
Let us exhibit to everyone, at home and abroad that we are one big family and nothing will ever truimph in dividing us," he said.
ENDS
Saturday, May 9, 2015
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