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Hello Africa! South Africa’s Cape Town sees signs of recovery in events industry.

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With Star Wars fans gathering, live sketch battles, conferences on the creative industry, Cape Town, a leading events destination in Africa, is seeing “a great indication” of recovery in its events industry after it suffered a blow from the COVID-19 pandemic and restriction measures against it.

 

CAPE TOWN, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) — With Star Wars fans gathering, live sketch battles, a conference on creative industry, Cape Town, a leading events destination in Africa, is seeing “a great indication” of recovery in its events industry after it suffered a blow from the COVID-19 pandemic and restriction measures against it.

DAWN TO RECOVER

Betweeen Oct. 1 and Oct. 5, events including an animation festival, comic conference, creative industry week, were held in South Africa’s legislative capital Cape Town, the first time the city has events for five consecutive days since the outbreak of COVID-19, according to Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith, adding that it shows that the events industry is starting to “emerge from the decline.”

The coastal city in the southwestern tip of the country was awarded the number one city in Africa for business events by International Congress and Convention Association for the period 2010-2019, and won World’s Leading Festival & Event Destination of World Travel Awards for several times in recent years. Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC) alone hosted over 500 national and international events a year before the pandemic.

Carol Weaving, managing director of global events organizer Reed Exhibition (RX)’s South Africa branch, predicted that events in South Africa like conferences, small trade shows are going to recover quickly after the South African government further relaxed COVID-19 restrictions last week, including on the number of people who attend a gathering.

However, it could take two years for the industry to fully recover, she told Xinhua during an event of Fame Week Africa, a three-day event about the creative industry in Africa that concluded on Tuesday.

“In 2022, you will probably see things down by 25 percent from 2019. But it will recover,” she said.

LIVE EVENTS COUNT

Events can reunite an industry sector and stimulate business, what is “absolutely” needed, said Weaving, adding that they serve as platforms for buyers and sellers, facilitating trade.

“It is the quickest way to reunite an industry sector, bringing people together and start the whole process,” she said.

In her opinion, people, after experienced a shutdown of live events, are desperate for entertainment and have already had fatigue about digital events, and for the creative industry, live events are very important to get this industry back in track.

RX has been doing digital events as a supplement to live events even before the pandemic, but both digital and live events are important, said Weaving.

Noel Daniels, CEO of Cornerstone Institute, a non-profit private higher education institution which offers qualifications in the arts, said for the creative industry having digital events only are not sustainable, which in all shapes and sides has been “badly affected” by the pandemic.

“We can’t be sitting behind the screen or glued to a television set or a big screen day after day,” he said. Daniels also emphasized the importance of the arts in people’s life, saying that “they have to recover.”

The resumption of events will also help the work of Shabier Jacobs, a blogger who attended many events in the past including both governmental or private.

“Obviously it helps my work and keeps business on,” said Jacobs, who is looking for contents for his blog during Fame Week Africa.

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Tourist arrivals surge by 14.3% compared to 2023

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The Ministry of Tourism has announced a significant surge in tourist arrivals, with 558,233 visitors arriving in the country so far this year. This marks a remarkable 14.3% increase compared to the total of 487,371 incoming tourists in 2023.

In January, 192,385 tourists visited the Maldives, followed by an even more impressive figure of 217,394 arrivals in February. As of March 24, the number of tourists has reached 148,456. This consistent growth in arrivals demonstrates the Maldives’ enduring popularity as a premier tourist destination.

On average, the Maldives welcomes approximately 6,186 tourists daily, with visitors spending an average of 8 days during their stay. The majority of tourists hail from China, constituting 11.4% of incoming arrivals. Notably, China leads with 63,647 arrivals, followed by Russia with 58,038 tourists and Italy with 53,249 visitors.

February 2023 witnessed a record-breaking number of tourists, with over 200,000 visitors flocking to the Maldives, highlighting its appeal as a coveted travel destination.

With more than 500,000 tourists already arriving this year, the government aims to achieve a milestone of 2 million tourist arrivals in 2024, setting ambitious targets for the tourism industry. To support this goal, the government has initiated various projects aimed at enhancing global exposure and expanding the tourism sector.

Source(s): PsmNews

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Minister reveals intend to host ITB fair 2026 in Maldives

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Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal has announced ongoing arrangements and projects aimed at achieving the goal of hosting the ITB fair in 2026. Speaking after participating in the ITB fair 2024, an annual event held in Berlin, Germany, Minister Faisal expressed optimism about attaining the opportunity to host the prestigious tourism exhibition.

The ITB fair, known for being the largest international tourism exhibition, is held annually in Berlin, but other countries are also given the chance to host it. This year, Oman hosted the event, drawing industry delegates from various countries. Minister Faisal highlighted that as a leading global tourism destination, Maldives prioritizes participation in the ITB fair each year.

Minister Faisal is confident that hosting the ITB fair in 2026 would significantly develop and boost the Maldivian tourism industry. He emphasized the need for discussions with stakeholders and the Maldives Marketing & Public Relations (MMPRC) to plan the required arrangements for hosting the event, acknowledging the considerable expenses involved. Minister Faisal is committed to achieving this goal through unified efforts.

MMPRC’s Managing Director, Fathimath Thaufeeq, provided insights into Maldives’ participation in the ITB fair 2024. She mentioned that 107 companies from the country participated in the event, conducting a Maldivian In Win, showcasing the nation’s culture and traditional cuisine. Thaufeeq also highlighted the launch of a magazine promoting local tourism by the Guest House Association and the introduction of a media kit named “Maldives Finder 2024” by MATATO during the fair.

The ITB Berlin 2024 took place from March 5 to March 7 and was attended by delegates from the Ministry of Tourism, investors from the tourism industry, Maldivian companies in the tourism sector, and high-level delegates from MMPRC.

Source(s): PsmNews

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MMPRC CEO affirms commitment to responsible tourism at ITB Berlin ’24

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The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Fathmath Thaufeeq has reaffirmed the Maldives government’s commitment to responsible and inclusive tourism development.

She made the remarks while speaking at the Maldives Media Meet, held last Tuesday on the sidelines of ITB Berlin 2024.

In her speech, the MMPRC CEO said Maldives achieved remarkable success in tourism sector last year, by surpassing pre-pandemic arrival levels to hit over 1.8 million annual visitors.

Fathimath also noted the evolving traveler prefences, and explained MMPRC is proactive about its commitment to promote new tourism segments, including cultural, sports, and medical tourism.

She said these new segments are poised on expanding the range travelers attracted to the Maldives, and added MMPRC is now working on strengthening existing tourism segments.

MMPRC CEO further revealed the government’s plans to introduce more transit hotels in Greater Male’ region, specifically for short-stay travelers and stopovers.

She said that the tourism development efforts will extend to southernmost areas of the Maldives, and added the initiatives will not only be economically beneficial but will impact local communities positively as well.

The tourism board’s CEO also highlighted the current administration’s ongoing efforts to increase the involvement of women in tourism sector.

Source(s): sun.mv

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