Preparations for Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 underway as key milestones take shape

PPreparations for Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026, taking place from 11 – 14 May in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal are advancing strongly following the appointment of Synergy Business Events as the official Exhibition Management Company, a key milestone in delivering a focused, high-value platform for trade engagement across the continent.

Whilst planning for the 2026 show may have started later than usual, significant groundwork has already been laid behind the scenes to reinvigorate the platform.

Africa’s Largest Hosted Buyer Programme

Africa’s Travel Indaba has consistently hosted the largest curated hosted buyer programme on the African continent, enabling exhibitors to connect with senior international and regional decision-makers through structured business matchmaking and pre-scheduled meetings.

Early indicators point to encouraging market interest, with 528 qualified hosted and non-hosted buyers confirmed from 34 countries. This includes representation from key international markets such as the United States, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Brazil and Japan.

Importantly, 210 qualified hosted and non-hosted buyers are attending the show for the first time, signalling the event’s continued ability to attract new entrants and unlock fresh opportunities. Of these buyers, 137 hosted and 73 non-hosted buyers are first-time participants at Africa’s Travel Indaba. These buyers span a mix of established and emerging markets, including Australia, Brazil, India and Japan amongst other traditional core markets to South Africa. Growth from the African continent remains a strong focus,

with first-time buyers confirmed from Botswana, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Namibia, alongside broader regional participation.

A structured matchmaking approach at scale remains a defining strength of Africa’s Travel Indaba and a key driver of return on investment for participating exhibitors.

“We are dedicated to delivering maximum value to our exhibitors by ensuring that key decision makers from all of our important source markets are considered in our evaluation criteria” says Acting CEO, Dr Shamilla Chettiar.

Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) 2026: Strengthens the Strategic Value of Participation

Following its success at Meetings Africa, BONDay returns in 2026 with a refreshed half-day plenary programme on Monday 11 May 2026, designed to deliver focused insight into evolving travel demand, distribution shifts, air access developments and emerging opportunities for African tourism businesses.

Its inclusion at Africa’s Travel Indaba reflects a strategic opening to the trade programme, provides exhibitors, media, and buyers with shared market intelligence to deepen informed engagements beyond the show and its activities.

Strong Industry Participation and Next Steps

To date, 479 exhibitor applications have been received, reflecting strong ongoing commitment from across the tourism sector. Preparations will now advance toward key milestones such as exhibitor logistical planning, stand allocations and the opening of the online diary, currently scheduled for 24 April 2026. Efforts are underway to bring this date forward.

Africa’s Travel Indaba remains one of the continent’s most important tourism marketing platforms, connecting African tourism products with international and regional markets through a curated environment designed to support meaningful business outcomes.

South African Tourism looks forward to welcoming the global travel community to Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal for an impactful and future-focused Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026.

Interested buyers and exhibitors can obtain additional information by visiting www.indaba-southafrica.co.za

ENDS

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Contact:

Name: Thandiwe Mathibela

GM: Global PR, Communications and Stakeholder Relations

Email: mediaq@southafrica.net

Website www.southafrica.net

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