{"id":54494,"date":"2024-05-10T14:38:15","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T12:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zulu.org.za\/travel\/?p=54494"},"modified":"2024-05-10T14:38:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T12:38:15","slug":"kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"KWAZULU-NATAL SMMES GEAR UP FOR AFRICA\u2019S TRAVEL INDABA 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"With just days to go until the start of Africa\u2019s Travel Indaba (ATI) 2024, over 120 hopeful and excited\r\nsmall medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are preparing for the highlight of their marketing\r\ncalendars.<br><br>Among these are 15 KwaZulu-Natal-based SMME\u2019s which are part of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s\r\nTourism Enterprise Development programme. They will be using every opportunity to showcase\r\nand sell their products and services to the thousands of domestic and international travel buyers\r\nattending ATI, which kicks off on Monday, May 13. 2024<br><br>Acting CEO for Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN), Mr Sibusiso Gumbi, said: \u201cThese fledgling\r\nbusinesses, exhibiting on the TKZN stand, have an integral part to play in the growth and\r\ndevelopment of the tourism sector. SMME\u2019s not only contribute to job creation but are important\r\nfor bringing new products to market and creating jobs.\u201d<br><br>He pointed out that, whilst most outbound travel was dominated by corporates, 80 percent of those\r\nserving the inbound market were small, owner-managed operations. In fact, small businesses\r\naccount for more than 80 percent of the tourism industry as a whole.<br><br>The KwaZulu-Natal based SMMEs that TKZN will be promoting at ATI 2024, in line with the TKZN\r\ntourism enterprise programme, offer a wide range of products and services \u2013 from transportation\r\nto accommodation to the provision of packaged tours and cultural tourism experiences.<br><br>\u201cWe want SMMEs to grow into substantial players in this critical sector of our economy. However,\r\nwe know transformation will not occur spontaneously but requires deliberate and sustained effort\r\nfrom all stakeholders. For this reason, we have implemented various programmes to ensure that\r\nour SMMEs get the much deserved and needed support. Enabling SMMEs to attend ATI is one of\r\nthe ways in which we assist emerging tourism businesses,\u201d said Gumbi.<br><br>Among the dynamic entrepreneurs shaping KwaZulu-Natal&#8217;s tourism landscape is Nkosikhona\r\nNdlovu, the man behind Amangonyama Tour Operator, a 100% Black-owned company in the\r\nKwaZulu-Natal Midlands. His mission is to deliver safety, education, and unforgettable experiences\r\nfor his clients.<br><br>Ndlovu said: \u201cFor me, Africa\u2019s Travel Indaba is a huge opportunity to showcase what we offer\r\nand to engage with potential buyers from across Africa. I am hoping to make valuable\r\nconnections and secure future business opportunities,\u201d says Ndlovu.<br><br>Then there\u2019s Msizeni Mngadi, owner of Indlondlo Cultural Village in the Valley of a Thousand Hills.\r\nMngadi is passionate about introducing visitors to the Zulu culture.<br><br>\u201cIndlondlo Cultural Village is not just a destination; it is a portal into the heart and soul of the Zulu\r\npeople. Here, visitors have the opportunity to delve into the essence of Zulu tradition through\r\nguided tours of traditional homesteads, captivating displays of dance and drumming, and\r\ninteractive activities that allow for a hands-on exploration of Zulu customs, \u201c said Ndlovu.<br><br>Biweda Nguni Lodge &#038; Tandweni Villa are two hidden gems nestled in the heart of Zululand in\r\nNorthern KZN, owned by Danica Bartho and her mother. These ventures have a mission close to\r\ntheir hearts \u2013 empowerment. Biweda Nguni Lodge offers a blend of comfort and affordability, with\r\nfarmhouse charm, while Tandweni Villa offers a luxurious safari experience.<br><br>Both lodges are not just places of accommodation. They are sanctuaries of opportunity for local\r\nwomen. With a focus on empowerment and skill development, Bartho and her team provide a safe\r\nhaven for previously disadvantaged women to flourish within the tourism industry.<br><br>Bartho is eager to showcase their projects to the world at ATI 2024. \u201cThis is not just about\r\nbusiness; it\u2019s about forging connections, sharing stories, and opening doors to new opportunities\r\nand continuing our commitment to empowering women and promoting sustainable tourism,\u201d<br><br>Other SMME\u2019s exhibiting include Dumi Legacy Tours offering safari experiences at the\r\niSimangaliso Wetland and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Parks as well as snorkel safaris and elephant\r\ninteractions. King Shaka Golf Tours offers both daily tourism and golfing tours in eThekwini, while\r\nKhondlo Tours offers adventure travel across KZN.<br><br>\r\nDurban based Inkazimulo Travel Solutions, Excellent Shuttle and Diverse Travel provide essential\r\nservices such as booking and shuttle services for conferences, events, tours, and airport transfers.<br><br>Accommodation options owned by SMMEs extend from Nokusho Guesthouse in Umbumbulu to\r\nJames iLenge Mountain Lodge, a rural getaway in the mountain of KZN, from the luxurious\r\nTandweni Villa safari lodge within the Pongola Game Reserve on the banks of Jozini Dam to\r\nCynthia\u2019s Hive Estate which is a wedding and functions venue in KwaDukuza. All are examples of\r\nSMMEs adding value to small town economies.<br><br>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With just days to go until the start of Africa\u2019s Travel Indaba (ATI) 2024, over 120 hopeful and excited small medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are preparing for the highlight of their marketing calendars.Among these are 15 KwaZulu-Natal-based SMME\u2019s which are part of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s Tourism Enterprise Development programme. They will be using every opportunity [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1415],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>KZN SMMEs at Travel Indaba 2024 | KZN Tourism &amp; Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"KZN SMMEs at Travel Indaba 2024 | KZN Tourism &amp; Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With just days to go until the start of Africa\u2019s Travel Indaba (ATI) 2024, over 120 hopeful and excited small medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are preparing for the highlight of their marketing calendars.Among these are 15 KwaZulu-Natal-based SMME\u2019s which are part of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s Tourism Enterprise Development programme. They will be using every opportunity [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KwaZulu-Natal Tourism &amp; Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KZNTourism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"kirknew\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TourismKZN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TourismKZN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"kirknew\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"kirknew\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/person\/d0e770d844a0b6cccc7e01d431544522\"},\"headline\":\"KWAZULU-NATAL SMMES GEAR UP FOR AFRICA\u2019S TRAVEL INDABA 2024\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/\"},\"wordCount\":739,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Media Release\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/\",\"name\":\"KZN SMMEs at Travel Indaba 2024 | KZN Tourism & Travel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"KWAZULU-NATAL SMMES GEAR UP FOR AFRICA\u2019S TRAVEL INDABA 2024\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/\",\"name\":\"KwaZulu Natal - Zulu Kingdom\",\"description\":\"KwaZulu-Natal Tourism &amp; Travel\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KwaZulu Natal - Zulu Kingdom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/cropped-cropped-new_icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/cropped-cropped-new_icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"KwaZulu Natal - Zulu Kingdom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KZNTourism\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TourismKZN\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/person\/d0e770d844a0b6cccc7e01d431544522\",\"name\":\"kirknew\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28480bcd64851bdbc8021a1d15ac642b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28480bcd64851bdbc8021a1d15ac642b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"kirknew\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/author\/kirknew\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"KZN SMMEs at Travel Indaba 2024 | KZN Tourism & Travel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"KZN SMMEs at Travel Indaba 2024 | KZN Tourism & Travel","og_description":"With just days to go until the start of Africa\u2019s Travel Indaba (ATI) 2024, over 120 hopeful and excited small medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are preparing for the highlight of their marketing calendars.Among these are 15 KwaZulu-Natal-based SMME\u2019s which are part of Tourism KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s Tourism Enterprise Development programme. They will be using every opportunity [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/","og_site_name":"KwaZulu-Natal Tourism &amp; Travel","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KZNTourism","article_published_time":"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00","author":"kirknew","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TourismKZN","twitter_site":"@TourismKZN","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"kirknew"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/"},"author":{"name":"kirknew","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/person\/d0e770d844a0b6cccc7e01d431544522"},"headline":"KWAZULU-NATAL SMMES GEAR UP FOR AFRICA\u2019S TRAVEL INDABA 2024","datePublished":"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/"},"wordCount":739,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Media Release"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/","url":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/","name":"KZN SMMEs at Travel Indaba 2024 | KZN Tourism & Travel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-10T12:38:15+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/kwazulu-natal-smmes-gear-up-for-africas-travel-indaba-2024\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"KWAZULU-NATAL SMMES GEAR UP FOR AFRICA\u2019S TRAVEL INDABA 2024"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#website","url":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/","name":"KwaZulu Natal - Zulu Kingdom","description":"KwaZulu-Natal Tourism &amp; Travel","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#organization","name":"KwaZulu Natal - Zulu Kingdom","url":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/cropped-cropped-new_icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/cropped-cropped-new_icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"KwaZulu Natal - Zulu Kingdom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KZNTourism","https:\/\/twitter.com\/TourismKZN"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/person\/d0e770d844a0b6cccc7e01d431544522","name":"kirknew","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28480bcd64851bdbc8021a1d15ac642b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28480bcd64851bdbc8021a1d15ac642b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"kirknew"},"url":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/author\/kirknew\/"}]}},"modified_by":"kirknew","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54494"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54494"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54498,"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54494\/revisions\/54498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitkzn-sa.com\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}