The eyes of the world’s major tourism stakeholders will turn to South Africa in early May when thousands of tour operators and product owners converge in Durban for Indaba 2016 – and Buffalo City will be there, rolling out an exciting new campaign to showcase our region.
Last year, the city’s tourism officials wowed its visitors with the popular, pocket-size 50 Fabulous Reasons booklet that showcased the city’s diverse bouquet of attractions.
Building on that success, a new campaign – Buffalo City: Your Triple-A destination – amplifies and
elevates three of the Metro’s biggest tourism success stories: our amazing natural beauty, authentic cultural experiences and adrenaline adventure pursuits. While acknowledging that Buffalo City has long been one of South Africa’s best-kept travel and tourism secrets, the new campaign positions the city to finally step into the limelight by emphasising its enviable diversity.
“We know from past experience and from expert feedback at the many trade shows that we’ve been fortunate to be part of this year, that this is our definitive value proposition,” says BCMM Tourism Manager Phindile Mbonwa-Mavundla.
“Buffalo City is not a single-attraction destination. We are fortunate to have a very varied tourism profile, with many fantastic attractions that are uniquely clustered. There are other destinations that offer exquisite wildlife, beautiful scenery, authentic cultural experiences, rich heritage and top-notch adventure tourism – but only Buffalo City baskets those attractions together, both geographically and experientially, to offer visitors a rich, multi-layered experience that ticks all the boxes.”
One of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar, Indaba 2016 attracts international buyers and media representatives from across the world. Held over three days, buyers typically include inbound tour operators, foreign travel agents, airline representatives, online booking companies, transport operators and a wide contingent of print and electronic media.
“This is an important platform for Buffalo City, as we get to have direct, face-to-face interactions with hundreds, if not thousands of key role players who are keen to discover untapped and less known southern African markets,” Mbonwa-Mavundla said.
“What’s also unique about Indaba is that participants can pre-select who they want to meet, so when we have direct interactions, it’s usually of a very high quality, with buyers who already show an active interest in South Africa or the Eastern Cape.”
BCMM Tourism’s new TTriple-A campaign is designed to remind buyers of the Metro’s exceptional diversity, which makes it the perfect choice for visitors and travellers who want the richest and most varied experience for their time and money.
“Ours is a city which, from an international perspective, is often seen as a link destination. What we have to emphasise – and what the Triple A campaign will help us achieve – is to remind buyers that you can pack a lot of experiences into a relatively short period, making this a very rewarding leg on any itinerary.”
INDABA 2016 takes place from 7 to 9 May at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC) and Durban Exhibition Centre (DEC).
