Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company at the Tourism Indaba
From left, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company’s Marketing Manager Collette van Aswegen, Marketing Assistant Kahshiefa Ryklief and CEO Sabine Lehmann at their colourful “Big Six” indoor stand
Table Mountain Aerial Cableway CEO Sabine Lehmann says this year’s Tourism Indaba appeared to have been scaled down in many respects.
“Possibly with the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ event so close, tourism players are saving time and expense by consolidating under umbrella stands rather than having smaller stands scattered around the event,” she says. “This would make sense from a resource perspective.”
For the past three years the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) have had a stand in the tent section of the Indaba, but this year their stand is inside the massive venue, a change they have welcomed.
“We’ve had improved foot traffic and made far better contacts by having a stand inside, so we are happy to have moved to the Durban Exhibition Centre [DEC],” says Sabine.
TMACC are also happy with the way the event has been laid out this year in comparison with previous Indabas.
“This year they have put the airlines, tour operators, hotel groups and car rental agencies together at the ICC [International Convention Centre], the provinces and their products in the DEC and SADC [Southern African Development Community] countries at individual stands in the tent – this is a much better layout,” says Sabine.
This year, TMACC will also be putting its collective energy behind the bid for Table Mountain to be chosen as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. Although visitors to their stand voted online this year for the bid, Sabine is planning an interactive SMS campaign for Tourism Indaba 2011, to push Cape Town’s iconic landmark from one of 28 finalists, into the winners’ stable.
The winning natural wonders will be announced on November 11, 2011.
Commenting on Tourism Indaba having secured the Durban ICC for the next five years, TMACC Marketing Manager Collette van Aswegen says it’s great to have the Tourism Indaba in Durban as it marks a central location in South Africa.
“The country can’t survive on tourism flowing into one city. We need diversity,” she adds.
The TMACC team suggests that future dates for the premier tourism event be considered within the framework of the world tourism calendar.
“We need the event date to coincide with international tourism conventions like the WTM [World Travel Market] so deals can be concluded and brochures printed in time for these important international trade shows,” Sabine adds.
Recommendations from the TMACC exhibitors included providing healthier food options and more dedication to “greening”, in keeping with the general trend towards eco-tourism and environmental awareness.
“The Indaba organisers are moving in the right direction by having recycling bins, but it would add great value if as much print product as possible was made available digitally to save paper,” the team adds.
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