Phindile Makwakwa, acting chief executive of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal Phindile Makwakwa, acting chief executive of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal
DURBAN - Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN) will be promoting “bleisure’’ tourism at the World Travel Market Africa (WTM Africa) which is being held in Cape Town this week.
“Bleisure” tourism is the practice of combining business travel and leisure travel on one trip.
The organisation said it had such a positive response from last year’s WTM Africa that it has not only decided to return to exhibit at the April 10-12 event, but also to partner with the African Tourism Investment Summit taking place from April 11-12.
WTM Africa is the perfect platform to generate leads, launch new products, meet new and old buyers, raise brand awareness and size up the market.
TKZN said participation at the African Tourism Investment Summit would cement KZN’s role in the tourism sector to align the business potential with tourism products, leveraging the province as a “go to” destination.
Phindile Makwakwa, the acting chief executive of TKZN, said that representatives from KZN would speak about various issues affecting the industry which is growing at a phenomenal speed.
“These platforms will allow for a wider reach to the attendees where we can tap into unchartered waters.”
The Durban-KZN Convention Bureau, which mainly bids for business conferences and meetings for KZN, is attending WTM Africa to tap into the leisure market as it has seen the potential because conference goers and businessmen and women often return to destinations or extend their stays to visit the areas they have come to.
Research has revealed that business delegates who attend conferences and or carry out business often mix some leisure trips into their visits. This “bleisure” industry is booming, and there should be more emphasis on this at WTM Africa, Makwakwa explained.
“It is cost effective to blend business travel with leisure activities,” Makwakwa said, adding that “surprisingly, bleisure travel helps travellers maintain a healthier work/life balance.”
Among the findings of a recent survey by the Expedia Group canvassing respondents from China, Germany, India, the UK and the US, reveal that most “bleisure” travellers take a business trip at least every 2-3 months, with those trips tending to last between 2-3 nights.