Dateline Indaba 2

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

It takes a helluva lot to beat waking up in a Durban beachfront hotel room on a sunny winter’s morning.

The view of the gently undulating ocean dotted with a few surfers, kayakers and ships is spectacular – and it’s the first time in three days that the sun has shone on South Africa’s travel and tourism showcase to the world, Travel Indaba 2009.

There have been a few minor logistical disasters for organizers – such as the poles on a Bedouin tent snapping under the weight of water gathered in one of its artfully draped folds during a late afternoon deluge on Saturday.right next to the Western Cape tourism pavilion! The weird thing was that this appeared to be a catalyst for delegates and exhibitors alike to kick back and relax – and the Western Cape was ideally positioned to provide wine for the occasion. Hats off to Durban convention centre staff because the problem was dealt with smartly and day two saw the tent restored (and reinforced) perfectly.

While handing out bouquets for a job well done, the various wine routes on the Western Cape stand have impressed me. As we stand pouring wine for passing traffic, staffers remain upbeat, positive and charming. If they don’t have a particular type of wine, they’ll point the punter in the direction of someone else who does. There’s a sharing of information – about South Africa’s 350 years of winemaking, of the various wine routes and their distances from Cape Town. A few short years ago this would have been inconceivable, with everyone jealously protecting their own patch.

One thing that is obvious, is the literal and figurative thirst. People want to experience South African wine and learn more. Hospitality operators from Limpopo want the winelands bodies to visit them, tour operators from the Northwest want to bring groups to the Cape, training institutions want to know how to lay their hands on wine information to train tour guides in other provinces. but mostly people want to taste and drink wine.

And that’s a really easy sell.