Africa's Travel Indaba: South African Tourism CMO Thembisile Sehloho drives growth

Africa's Travel Indaba 2025, the largest tourism fair on the African continent, confirms the success of the current edition, marked by rising numbers and a strategic focus on connecting African countries with international markets. With the theme “Shaping Africa's Tomorrow Through Connection Today”, the event took place from 12 to 15 May at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, bringing together 1,000 hosted buyers, 1,300 exhibitors and representatives from 27 African countries.

For Thembisile Sehloho, Chief Marketing Officer of South African Tourism, the results of the 2025 edition are encouraging. “We saw growth in the number of exhibitors and visitors. In fact, the media presence also increased, both among guests and non-guests. We are recording growth of between 5% and 12% in all the metrics we monitor,” he said.

An Africa without limits

With the Unlimited Africa brand as a backdrop, the fair’s strategic vision is clear: to present to the world the continent’s tourism potential as a unique destination, rich in diversity and unforgettable experiences.

“We want the world to see Africa as a ‘one-stop Africa’ – meaning that once you land in South Africa and have a great experience, we encourage you to continue exploring other African countries,” Sehloho explained. “Our goal is to create a strong, interconnected and functioning tourism ecosystem.”

Marketing focused on personalized experiences

The executive also commented on the strategic pillars for the brand’s growth in 2025, with an emphasis on personalizing the experiences offered to international tourists. “We know that Brazilian consumers, for example, love adventure. So, our strategy is to create differentiated experiences that meet this profile, which requires a targeted marketing approach,” she highlighted.

Accessibility also comes in as a competitive advantage. “South Africa has nine provinces, all with unique attractions, and the cost of traveling and enjoying tourist experiences here is much more affordable than in other international destinations. This makes the experience even richer for less,” he pointed out.

Brazil as a strategic market

With around 18 Brazilian tour operators attending the fair in a delegation of 24 members, Brazil’s interest in the destination is increasingly relevant. “Brazil is one of our key growth markets. And now we need to tell this story in a strong way: show that the operators who came obtained value, closed deals, and found quality products,” said Thembisile.

She believes that the return of these professionals to Brazil will be essential to further expand the country's presence in future editions. “We hope that you will be our spokespersons, that you will say: 'it's worth going to the fair'. That way, those who are still in doubt will be convinced. We have a great team in Brazil, and we will continue to co-create and collaborate so that tourism grows and benefits everyone.”

With real growth, well-defined goals and strategies based on international collaboration, Africa's Travel Indaba 2025 is consolidating itself as a powerful driver for promoting African tourism – and Brazil is a vital part of this journey.

Report and photo: Mary de Aquino.